


Blood is Thicker Than Water

by DeepLittleSOB



Series: Lizzy-verse [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Casual Sex, F/M, Hunters & Hunting, Marathon Sex, Minor Injuries, Stakeout
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-14
Updated: 2015-03-15
Packaged: 2018-03-17 21:12:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 71,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3543935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeepLittleSOB/pseuds/DeepLittleSOB
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The djinn really screwed with his head.  BADLY.  And for the first time ever Dean isn't able to find full comfort from his brother, Sam.  This time he needs more.  He needs HER.</p><p>Calling Lizzy for help he's too afraid to outright ask for, she offers to give him all the support he needs as long as he and Sam can come and assist her and Lou with their latest hunt.  Men are disappearing, oddly beautiful women have flooded Nebraska City, and they're stumped.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Djinn Hangover

**Author's Note:**

> This is the second story in my series. I hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own or have the rights to anything of/related to Supernatural. I am just playing in their sandbox.

“Hey there, Hot Shot!  Long time, no hear!”  Lizzy smiles as she pulls out her ear buds and looks up from the hefty book she is skimming through.  She hasn’t heard from Dean in a few days so when his name pops up on her cellphone display she feels an excited jump in her chest.

“L,” Dean starts to respond but doesn’t finish.  He contemplated calling her for the last half hour but he wasn’t sure what to tell her.  His mind is cluttered with all he wants to say but it falls short of assembling the right words properly.  Really, he isn’t even sure how to begin.

“Dean?  You ok?” she asks after waiting for him to continue with no avail.  Their conversations are usually easy and effortless so she grows concerned with his hesitation.  Lou makes eyes contact with her from the small table in their motel room she’s sitting at doing research. 

“No.”  He really isn’t.  After what he just went through, he’s shaken to the core.

“What’s going on?” Lou asks Lizzy in a whisper.  Lizzy holds up her index finger to hold Lou off for now.  She needs to focus on Dean and figure out what’s wrong. 

“Where are you?” Lizzy questions, the slight concern in her voice changing quickly to full-blown uneasiness after his negative answer.  She stands up from her place on the old, worn carpet, compelled to move as her nerves get the better of her.  Dean is normally unflappable and the man on the other end of the phone sounds nothing like him.

“Illinois.  Joliette,” he states plainly.

“What are you doing there?”

“Ah,” he sighs out, “guess you could say getting mind fucked by a djinn.” 

“Oh shit,” she commiserates, running a hand through her hair.  She isn’t even sure what that means, but it can’t be good.  “Are you ok?”

“Been better.”  That’s an understatement, Dean thinks to himself.

“No, I mean are you hurt?”

“Physically, no.”  Just a little blood loss.  Nothing big enough to mention right now.

 “What about Sam?” Lizzy asks Dean as she sees Lou’s face knot up with concern.

“He’s fine.”

He hears Lizzy tell someone in a hushed voice that Sam is alright, which is followed by someone letting out a sigh small relief.  It must be Lou, he thinks to himself.

“Ok, well whatever happened, at least you two aren’t going to die,” Lizzy says with relief.

“Yeah, we’ll live.”  The sarcasm drips from his words.

“Good.  Then the two of you need to drive your asses to Nebraska City.  Now, preferably.”

“What’s in Nebraska City?” Dean wonders.

“We are dumb-dumb.”

The corners of his mouth stretch slightly.  Dean finally lets himself relax a little, his shoulders dropping from their previously tensed position and his weight leaning harder into the side of his car with her invite.  It’s comforting to know she wants to help and though he’d never outright ask for it, it’s exactly what he needs right now.

“We’re staying just outside the city in a town called Percival.  We’re looking into some missing guys.  Shit’s getting pretty weird the more we find.  It’s turning out to be bigger than we’d expected and we could certainly use some help….”  Going right into another hunt isn’t exactly appealing to Dean at the moment, but he knows Lizzy is doing what she can to support him and if he is being honest, having her nearby right now would really alleviate some of the anxiety of his very recent ordeal. 

“You two really need help, or are you just trying to get me there?” Dean wonders to her half-seriously.

“Honestly, both,” she laughs lightly.  “We planned on calling you and Sam tomorrow to run this whole case by you anyways.  We’re crazy stumped.  And if I can lend an ear or whatever to help you out while you’re here, then perfect.”  She pauses.  “Plus, I haven’t seen you in, like, two months.  It’d be really good to see you again, Dean.”

Smiling involuntarily, he didn’t need to be invited twice. 

“Text Sam the address?”

“Will do,” she says cheerfully.

Dean snaps his phone shut and pushes off of the Impala.  “Sam!  Pack it up!” he shouts as he heads toward the motel office to check them out of their room.

“What? Why?”  Sam whips his head up with surprise from the old, familiar leather journal resting in his lap.  Sitting against a tree by the motel, he started adding the new information they’d gained to the already existing djinn entry their Dad had started.  Dean thinks Sam is just being his nerdy self but Sam was really using his studious nature as a disguise.  When Dean had walked out of their motel room earlier to get some fresh air after the talk they’d had, Sam used the journal as an excuse to keep an eye on his brother.  He chose a spot under a tree and settled in, keenly watching Dean pace the parking lot and play with his phone for nearly thirty minutes before making a call.  Dean rarely gets this freaked out over anything and leaving his booze loving brother to his own devices didn’t seem like the best idea.  Sam is just glad Dean never made the short walk across the street to the mom-and-pop liquor store.

“We’re leaving.  Got something in Nebraska,” he explains while continuing his trek.

“How?” Sam wrinkles his brow in disbelief.  “How could we possibly have something else already?”  They barely finished up this last case and Dean wants to dive right into another one?  This doesn’t sound like a good idea to Sam, especially with the shape Dean is currently in.

“Lizzy and Lou need help.  Said it was big.”  A simple explanation that Dean knows will work.

 “Oh,” is all Sam returns.  His expression softens when he hears the girls’ names.

“Yeah, _oh_ ,” Dean mirrors.  “So pack your crap and get in.  You can finish your schoolwork on the ride.” 

“Schoolwork?  I wasn’t aware that you ever knew what schoolwork was,” Sam fires back while he scrambles to his feet and gathers his things.

“Oh, I’m sorry I never got off on reading text books like you, Sammy,” Dean insults over his shoulder while opening the office door.

“Jerk,” Sam mumbles.

“Bitch!” Dean yells back.

* * *

“What the hell was that all about?” Lou questions the second Lizzy hangs up.  She looks away from her laptop screen and turns her full attention to her friend.

“Sounds like Dean’s had a pretty fucked up day,” Lizzy responds looking down at the cell phone in her hand.  “He said he ran into a djinn.  Any idea what that is?”

“Not really,” Lou answers while returning to her computer, Google search already started.  After a few short minutes she’s gathered just enough information to get a picture of what Dean had dealt with.  “Genies.”

“Genies?” Lizzy questions with surprise.

“Yeah, that’s what they are, genies.”

“Like a genie in a lamp kinda genie?  Like a blue colored Robin Williams?”

“Kind of, but not really,” Lou tries to explain.  “They have the ability to put a person into a trance in which they experience their one true wish.  While in this state the victim is helpless.   The djinn takes advantage of this and feeds off of its victim without the them ever knowing what’s really happening.  So the wish doesn’t really come true.”

Lizzy walks over and stands behind Lou to read along with her.  “And that means if Dean said he got mind-fucked by a djinn…”

“Oh, he meant it Lizard.  He got a first class ass kicking of the brain.”

“Whoa, that’s insane amounts of fucked up.”  Lizzy responds heavily. 

"Oh man, can you imagine the kind of wish a dude like Dean came up with?” Lou giggles.  “Twenty-four hour drunken orgy party?  Or maybe just an endless supply of pie, cheeseburgers, whiskey, and tits?”  Lou laughs loudly, but Lizzy doesn’t join.

“Damn dude, you really have a very specific picture of who Dean is, don’t you?” She asks her friend while retaking her seat on the floor.  Lizzy is saddened by her best friend’s inability to see Dean the way she does.  He’s much more than the gluttonous womanizer that he at first appears to be.  That’s just the mask he wears to fool people.  Lizzy considers herself lucky to have been able to get a glimpse underneath his cover.  Lou however is not as open-minded.  “You really have to give him a chance when he gets here.”

“Don’t have to do shit, Lizzy,” Lou informs her.  “You know what we’ve been told about him.  And you know how that chick at the Roadhouse talked about him.  I mean, there could be tons of girls out there thinking the same way you do.  The same way that little blondie does too.”

Lizzy drops her head to avoid Lou for a moment.  She’s right.  They’d met Jo when Bobby had sent them to the Roadhouse just a few weeks back.  She talked about him with such love and admiration, even if she had tried to hide it. 

“So what,” Lizzy finally says.  “One young chick has a crush on him.  That means nothing.  And I don’t listen to gossip so those random hunters you’ve talked to can suck it.  I know him, Louie.  I know what he’s actually about and I know what I feel.  You gotta look at him in a different light for once.”  She’s had to be extremely defensive with this subject for a while now and she’s growing tired of it.  “Even if you don’t want to, you could at least try for me.”

Lou can see how upset Lizzy is getting with her comments.  She feels bad, but she’s very concerned for Lizzy.  Her friend deserves the best, and Dean doesn’t appear to be the best.  He has many good qualities, sure.  He’s devoted his life to saving others and no one does that unless they are a good person deep down.  But Lou’s priority is her sister, and no one is going to hurt Lizzy on her watch.

“Alright.  I’ll give him a chance,” Lou gives in.  “I’ll try to get to know him because you asked me to.  Just don’t expect me to pull some kinda one-eighty here, ok?”

“That’s all I ask, Louie.”  Lizzy smiles widely with Lou’s promise.  “Now let’s get some shit done.  They’ll be here in about eight hours so we have plenty of time to read through all this crap.”  She gestures to the many books, stacks of maps, and many manila files on the table.  Putting her ear buds back into place, she reaches for her trusty other best friend.  Her IPod.

“We should probably try to look through what we already have one more time before they get here, too.  I want to have it all organized before we try and present this to them.  Give them as solid a picture as we can.”

“Nerd,” Lizzy name calls before glancing at the ever growing pile of work in front of them.  “Sometimes I fucking hate this job,” Lizzy whines as she pushes play on her playlist entitled _Dean_.  ‘Traveling Riverside Blues’ fills her ears and she picks up the research where she’d left off in a much better mood than she’d been in before Dean called.

* * *

“So what’s this big thing that we’re supposed to help the girls with?” Sam asks as he reaches to the stereo.  He turns the volume down so he and Dean can actually hear each other’s voices over ‘Back in Black’.

“Not sure.  Lizzy said they went to Nebraska City to look into some missing dudes and the more they find out the bigger the whole thing seems.  They’re at a dead end and need our expertise.”  Dean grins at Sam with an eyebrow lifted.

“And?” Sam asks impatiently, waiting to hear the rest.

“And nothing, that’s it,” Dean shrugs out.

“That’s it?  That’s all you know?”  Sam looks at Dean unbelieving.

“Yeah, that’s everything she told me.”

Sam huffs in disbelief.  As much as he’s more than happy to help out Lou and Lizzy, and as much as he’s glad for the chance to see them again, he’s surprised Dean would agree to another hunt with so little to go on. 

“You ok, man?” Sam questions.

“Fine.  Why?”  Dean’s eyes remain trained on the road ahead and he does his best to keep in place the poker face he believes he’s wearing.  It isn’t working and Sam knows he’s definitely not fine.  Dean’s never been very good at lying, or at least not to his little brother.  And Sam’s pretty sure that every time Dean has ever claimed to be fine, he wasn’t.

“Uh, let’s see; for starters, you lost a lot of blood back there.  You’re still pretty pale.  You sure you’re feeling well enough to jump right into something else?”

“I’ll rest once we get there.  Get a good night’s sleep.”  Dean’s just trying to assuage Sam by telling him what he wants to hear, though Dean thinks Sam might not buy it since he hasn’t slept well for nearly a year.

“Ok,” Sam draws out.  “You also just tripped balls pretty hard and went through some seriously messed up stuff.”

“Yeah, but we already talked about that, Sam.  I’ll be ok, stop worrying.”

Stubborn ass, Sam thinks.  When Dean gets like this, there’s not much Sam can do to get through to him.  Dean’s made up his mind, they were going to Nebraska.  And once he has his mind set, there’s never any way of changing it.  Sam decides for now to leave things as they are and reaches to turn the volume back up, knowing that the louder the music is, the easier it is for Dean to ignore his own thoughts.  Anytime the storm in his head gets too heavy, the music in the car is deafening.

“Hey.  Sammy,” Dean starts before Sam can get his hand to the stereo nob.  “Thanks.”  He needed to get his gratitude out before the music drowns his voice again.

“What for?”

“For what you said back at the motel.  Reality still sucks, but it sucks a lot less after hearing you say that stuff.”  Thank God for Sam by his side.

Sam simply shrugs.  “It’s the truth.”

Dean nods while still looking straight ahead and Sam turns the volume up again, just not quite as loud as before.

Dean really is thankful for Sam’s words.  They make it so much easier to accept the real world now that he is back in it.  It had been so cozy inside the false existence the djinn had him in that it physically hurt to abandon it.  It feels like there is a hole that’s been torn into his chest from the emotional toll the whole thing took and, the worst part of it all, he misses being back there. 

He’s always done his best to convince others around him that the life of a hunter suited him just perfectly, but now Dean thinks that really he’s been trying to convince himself of this all along.  The life he could have had, complete with an actual home and family, is most definitely appealing.  His mother was alive and well, enjoying a quiet and happy life in Kansas.  Sam was well on his way to the career he’d previously been striving towards and was about to get married to the woman of his dreams, who just happened to also still be alive.  Even Dean himself had managed to straighten up somewhat.  He had a regular job and a respectably awesome woman.  Carmen was something else.

It’s then that Dean comes to the one thing he hasn’t been able to figure out since coming to.  Why did his mind create Carmen?  He’d seen the model in the magazine ad the day before and had stopped on the page to check her out a little before moving on.  But that’s all he knew of her.  He’s met plenty of women who would have fit into his life easily.  Lisa, Cassie, Lizzy…

Why hadn’t Lizzy been a part of his perfect life?  They have something, he knows that for sure.  The guilt he’d felt after hooking up with Tara Benchley was enough to prove it.  Granted, he’d totally do Tara again if he had the chance.  He’s been more than a little obsessed with her ever since the first horror flick he saw her in and opportunities like that don’t come around every day.  However, he never expected to feel any kind of remorse afterwards.  He’d just met Lizzy the week before and had only spent a few days with her.  That wasn’t nearly enough time to get so hooked on a girl, yet that’s where he now finds himself. 

The only reason he can come up with is that he would never have met Lizzy if not for hunting.  Their job is what made their paths cross and without it they would have never have come together.  That has to be it.  He cautiously accepts the excuse he makes for his own sanity’s sake.  Maybe it is a good thing she wasn’t in his mind-fuck.  He barely found the strength to leave as it was.  Add Lizzy into the mix and he’d most likely be a drooling, blood-drained mess strung up in a warehouse right now.

That must be why he was so compelled to call her after everything calmed back down.  He just knew at the time that he needed to at least hear her voice.  Sam made him feel better, but this time only she could repair him fully.  The meaning behind that scares him.  He’s gotten in way over his head with this chick. 

His thoughts begin to feel overwhelming and they still have at least six hours left before getting to Nebraska.  Dean turns up the volume to drown out his rambling brain and lets ‘Have a Drink on Me’ take over while pretending not to see the disapproving face Sam instinctively sends his way.

* * *

 


	2. Cheeseburger Dreams

* * *

Sam is startled awake when he feels something hit his left cheek.  Swiping a large hand through the air at the invisible attacker as he comes to, he’s bewildered when he doesn’t make contact with anything.  Sam pops his eyes open quickly and looks to the driver’s side of the Impala.  Dean’s laughing and the crumpled hamburger wrapper in his lap lets him know he’s been had. 

“Easy there, sleepyhead,” Dean taunts.

“Such an ass, Dean!”

“Whoa, a little hostile there Sammy.”  Dean chuckles as Sam scowls.  It’s funny how he never gets tired of messing with his little brother, no matter how old they get.  It’s just too easy.

“You freaked me out.”  Sam’s heart is still pounding.  This isn’t the best way Dean could have chosen to wake him up after just getting attacked by that djinn.  He’s always hyper-aware of his surroundings following a hunt and his sibling knows this all too well.

“Relax, dude.  We’re just around the corner from the motel.  I figured you’d want to wipe the drool off your chin before we see Lou.”  Dean winks at him.  Sam runs his hand across his chin and grows more annoyed once he discovers he actually had drooled in his sleep.  He hates when Dean is right about anything, especially when it’s at his expense.  Well, since he has saliva on his fingers, might as well make good use of it…

“Ugh!  Sam!  God damn it!”  Dean rubs at his now damp ear after Sam gives him a wet-willy. 

“Retaliation, man,” Sam laughs heartily.  He’s proud of his own quick thinking.

“Grow up,” Dean laments, fully aware of the irony in his words.

The Impala turns into the parking lot of a Super 8.  It looks like an upgrade from their usual fleabag motels as it has two floors, looks clean, and all the room doors are actually inside the building. 

“Nice.  Continental breakfast,” Dean excitedly announces as he points to a sign out front and proceeds to jab an elbow into Sam’s side.  Sam grimaces at him while rubbing his ribs.  Only Dean would be that happy about stale muffins and poorly made coffee.  Sam scans the front of the building and his sights fall on the familiar slender frame wrapped in a puffy winter coat standing outside the entrance.  The light above the door shines off her long, bright blond hair as she paces back and forth, looking at her cellphone.  She waves when she spies the black car and quickly pockets her phone.

Dean pulls into an open space and turns off the engine.  Sam can see Lou walking towards them in his side mirror.  He gets out of the car and turns to greet her.

“Hey there, Iron Giant!” she shouts to him as she approaches with a little skip in her step.  She’s excited to see the two men again and it shows.

“Hey, Lou,” Sam smiles as she reaches up to hug him and plant a small kiss on his cheek.

“Hi Lou,” Dean cheers as he walks around the car. 

“So good to see you guys again,” Lou says as she gives Dean a hug of his own and she quickly drops another peck on a Winchester cheek. 

“Likewise,” Dean smirks slyly as his hands run a little too low down her back and approach her bottom.  Dean winks at Sam from over her shoulder once more, Sam shaking his head in return, before Lou pushes him away quickly. 

“I think you got the wrong girl, buddy.”  She says it with a grin, though she’s clearly a little annoyed.  Giving him a fair chance already seems like it’ll be a chore but she promised Lizzy she would.  Not great start though, she thinks.

“Sure did.”  They all turn around to see Lizzy jogging swiftly up behind them with her tan leather bomber jacket wrapping her tightly against the cold winter air.  “That ass belongs to me anyways,” she announces with a quick slap to Lou’s left cheek.  Lou rolls her eyes with the childish display as Lizzy giggles brightly.

“Hey, we can share can’t we?” Dean asks with a grin.  It’s worth a shot, right?

“Why Dean, you haven’t changed a bit,” Lizzy retorts.  “Hi Sam,” she greets while placing a hand on his shoulder and ruffling his hair quickly before heading straight for Dean. 

"Yeah, hi," Sam says with pure annoyance as he fixes his floppy hair.

Lizzy jumps up to reach her arms around Dean’s neck and he catches her with his arms locked around her waist.  She’s suspended off the ground in their hug and he buries his face into her long dark hair, inhaling her scent.  He’s feeling better already.

“Hi ya’, Hot Shot,” she sighs into his ear.  She is relieved to see him in one piece and joking around.  After talking over the phone with a less than with-it Dean, she’d been nervous about what shape he might show up in.  This is a pleasant surprise.

"Hey, L,” Dean returns quietly, letting the calm of her presence wash over him. 

Sam pays close attention to his brother’s expression, seeing both tension and relief at the same time through Lizzy’s strands.  He’s worried about him, and rightfully so.  This whole djinn thing is really affecting him.  He’s been so used to looking at Dean as the tougher one of the two of them, the one that nothing could crack, that it is difficult for him to witness Dean’s inner pain.  Hopefully, he thinks, Lizzy will be able to help.

Slender fingers latch onto Sam’s forearm.  He looks down to see Lou nudging her head towards the building before she leads him away, walking away from the reunited two.

“Should probably give them a minute.  Lizzy said she was worried about him.  Something about a djinn?”

“Yeah.  Thing screwed with his head pretty hard.”  Sam’s uneasy tone makes Lou knot her brow in sympathy.

“Well, why don’t we get you and Dean a room and then maybe grab everyone something to eat while they chat?”  Lou could tell that her best friend is highly concerned for Dean and is more than happy to give them the time they needed.

“Ok.”  Sam forces out a smile while shoving his hands in his pockets and bowing his head.

“Plus, I don’t think Dean’s the only one not doing so hot.  Maybe you could use a set of ears too?” she asks while linking her arm within his.  She is getting the distinct feeling that this whole situation has messed with Sam too.

Sam’s fake smile becomes a genuine one with her offer.  She had been such a good listener and good friend to him that weekend at Bobby’s house and having her nearby now feels like a luxury.  He’d laid a lot of heavy stuff on her, specifically everything that had recently happened with Madison, and she was understanding and kind.  Right now, he could use some more of that.

“Yeah, ok,” he replies with an agreeing nod, his mood picking up just slightly.

Lou smiles back and they continue into the lobby.  She’s happy to help.  She and Lizzy still feel like they are in the brother’s debt with all the things they’ve learned through their experiences.  Plus, how could she not want to help out Sam?  That innocent, lost little puppy look gets her every damn time. 

Once at the front desk, Lou rings the service bell and they wait.  And wait.  And wait more.  The two are shifting uncomfortably while standing in the lobby.  Sam thinks it’s the awkwardness of being face to face for the first time in a while, no longer having miles between them.  Lou thinks it’s because of the way the two left things after Bobby’s.  They’d gotten a little frisky the last night before the girls left and they’d never talked about it.  Sam appeared a little uneasy with the whole situation afterwards and she doesn’t want things to be weird now.

“Where the hell is everyone?” Lou wonders out loud at the absence of employees.

“It _is_ pretty late,” Sam answers. 

“Yeah, and it isn’t exactly the Ritz fucking Carlton around here,” Lou complains.  She should be more accustomed to terrible service considering the type of places they always stay in.  “Eh, fuck it.  Let’s head to my room.  We’ll hang out and come back later to get you guys one of your own.”

* * *

Dean finally puts Lizzy down after their long embrace but keeps his arms wrapped around her shoulders.  He isn’t ready to let go just yet.  The wonderful, glowing sensation that has been filling him from the second Lizzy leapt onto him makes the nine hour drive more than well worth it. 

“How you doing, Dean?” Lizzy asks him with her cheek pressed against the front of his coat.  She takes in the smell of it, a combination of leather, gunpowder, and just him.  It’s been too long since she’s smelled that.

“I’ve felt better, honestly,” he confesses while dropping his chin onto the top of her head.

“I figured.  I usually have to be the one to call you so when I saw your name pop up on my cell, midday none-the-less, I got worried.”  She looks up at him, eyes narrowed, clearly trying her best to get a read on him after her statement. 

“We’ve been really busy.”  As much as it sounds like a cover-up, it is actually the truth.  It’s been one hunt after another with him and Sam.

“It’s ok.  It’s not your fault that you only want to call me after midnight when you get piss-ass drunk.”  She’s grinning to let him know she’s joking…kind of.  The majority of his calls to her have been very late night and he only remembered about half of them.  Sadly, he did remember the one time he tried talking dirty to her at 2:30 AM in a whiskey haze while alone in a motel in Texas.  Or at least he thinks, and hopes, he’d only done that once.  He grimaces at the thought.

“Sorry ‘bout that,” he frowns.

“No worries.  Actually I am glad you called all those times.  Some of the activities you mentioned on the phone… wow, Dean.  Very creative.”  Now she’s just putting salt in the wound.

“Thanks.  And just to let you know, this is not awkward at all.” 

She picks up on the sarcasm.  Obviously it is.

“Why don’t we hang out in that nice warm car of yours.  It’s fucking freezing out at night around here.”  Lizzy knows it is time to change the subject.  Normally, it’s fun being able to talk to Dean like this, throw him a couple friendly digs and whatnot, but there are more important matters to deal with first.  Plus, it’s December and it really is freezing out.

“Sure,” Dean replies, eased by her moving on from their current topic.  He opens the passenger side door for her to get in and then walks around the car and drops back into the driver’s side.  Dean turns the key in the ignition to get the stereo on while Lizzy pulls her IPod out of her pocket, connects something to it, and starts playing around with the radio.

“Hey.”  He’s already getting annoyed.

“Hey yourself,” she pushes him right back.

“No way.  Rules of the car; driver picks the music.”  He stops there, thinking better of telling her to shut her cakehole. 

“Good thing you’re not driving then, huh?” she counters while continuing her task.  She hates not being in control of what music is being played along with being told what to do.  It is a problem they both share.

“Do you ever do anything without being attached to that thing?”

“No!  Why would I?”  Her love of music is something he finds endearing.  And her love of good music he finds respectable.  She searches out the right radio station to play her iPod through and selects Metallica’s album ‘Load’, keeping it at a low volume.  Knowing Dean as well as she did, this is a good pick right now.  She personally would pick something much less abrasive in a time like this, but not Dean.  Metallica is like a safety blanket to him, calming his fears when he actually has them.

When he hears the opening riff of ‘Ain’t My Bitch’, Dean is not surprised to find himself agreeing very much with her choice.  “Alright, I take it back.  You’re ok to pick the music.”

“Damn straight,” Lizzy grins and turns herself sideways on the bench seat, siting Indian-style while facing him.  “So what’s going on with you, Winchester?  Tell me about what’s happening in that dome of yours.”

Dean reaches under his side of the seat to pull out the flask he’d stowed away.  He opens it and takes a big swig. 

“It’s been a long one,” he explains quickly to Lizzy before she steals the flask from him and takes a gulp of her own, thinking she could use a little liquid assistance herself right now.   If Dean’s actually going to talk, she needs to prepare herself because it must be pretty bad.

Since Dean’s been in his own head for the very long road trip, he’s more than ready to let some of what had run through his mind the whole time out.  He shifts so he’s facing her and dives right in.

“I got brain-raped.”  Dean takes back the metal container and goes in for another long pull.

“That’s one way of putting it,” she comments with trepidation and waits for a better explanation.

"L, those things… those djinn, they take your ultimate wish and make it come true, or at least they make you think it’s come true.  The whole thing was so fucking real.”

“What did you see?” 

He pauses, hating speaking this aloud as much as he knows he needs to.  “I saw what I’ve always wanted.”

“And what’ve you always wanted?”

He pauses, drinking more cheap whiskey and letting it burn down his throat before mustering the strength to tell her. 

“Mom.”

“What?” her voice drops with fear.

“My wish was that she never died.”

“You saw your _mother_?”  The question spills out almost immediately after he tells her.  Dean nods a slow yes to answer her and Lizzy looks overwhelmed, her eyebrows lifted and mouth slightly agape.  She pries the flask out of his fingers and replaces it with her hand.

“Holy shit, Dean.”  Lizzy lost her own mother some years back and she sympathizes with the severity of what he’s gone through now that she knows.  “I’m not sure I could handle seeing my mom again… Jesus.”  Her grip gets tighter and she clenches her jaw as she peers off in the distance beyond the windshield.  Taking a deep breath, Lizzy lets the strain of what’s been put on Dean wash over her as if it is her own misfortune.  How could he handle this?  She knows she would never be able to.

“Yeah, it... she was living in our old house in Kansas.  There was never a fire, never a demon.  She was happy and looked so… good.  And Sam, he was still with his college girlfriend.  They were engaged, actually… and living in California.  He had the life he’d always wanted, the one he worked so hard for.”

“So Jessica was still alive too?” she asks, thinking it over.  “I mean, that makes sense.  You said there was no demon.”

“Yeah,” Dean replies suspiciously.  He didn’t know Lizzy knew who Jessica was.

“He told Lou about her at some point.  She then told me of course,” she explains after reading his thoughts.

“Naturally.”  Dean nods.  Those two share everything.  He should have assumed.  “And we didn’t hunt either.  We were just regular people.”

“What about John?”

“He died in his sleep a year before.  A stroke I think.”

“And what about you?”

“Surprisingly, I was a little bit of a mess,” he answers sarcastically and Lizzy laughs quietly before Dean continues.  “But only a little bit.  Sam and I didn’t really know each other though, which was the worst part of the whole experience.  We didn’t talk and we didn’t have anything in common.  Felt weird to be so disconnected.”

“That’s definitely wrong,” Lizzy agrees with him.  “The two of you are beyond attached at the hip.”

“Yeah.”

“So the djinn doesn’t make everything perfect then?  Just gives you your wish and goes from there, making it as real as possible?”

“Seems like it.  I honestly doubt Sam and I would be close if it weren’t for hunting, so it was pretty accurate.”  The pain on his face at the thought makes Lizzy change the subject.  He didn’t need to think like that right now.

“So what else?” she has to know.  “If you weren’t hunting, what was your life like?”

“I was a mechanic,” Dean smiles lightly.  That’s what his dad used to do before hunting.  That and his love of cars made it the perfect job for him.  “I had a job, a girlfriend, an average-Joe life.  I mean, I drank a lot… a ton it seems, and screwed up a few times, but my life was calm and good.  It was normal.  _I_ was normal.”

“You mean as normal as Dean Winchester will ever be?” she grins softly.

“Pretty much,” Dean agrees.

“So let me get this straight; deep down hidden underneath this macho, Dirty Harry persona you try to give off to the world, you really just want that apple pie, white picket fence crap?  You want common, quiet happiness?”

Dean says nothing in return as he stares down at their intertwined hands and runs the pad of his thumb across the anti-possession tattoo on the inside of her wrist as it  is just peeking out of her leather jacket sleeve.  A djinn does only show you what you want, so how could he deny it?

“Wanting that kind of life, that’s downright noble of you, Dean.”  He looks up into her eyes and sees that she’s being sincere.  She’s genuinely surprised by him.  He wants average, normal, and boring.  And so did she, really.  When she went into hunting, the biggest obstacle was knowing that while hunting she could never have a life with a family, a job, and no monsters in the closet.  It’s a settling thought to know she’s not alone, especially since Lizzy never saw him as a person who would be interested in all that.  “I like that you want that.  And I want that too.  I really miss the domestic life every now and then, you know?”

“You could always go back,” he tells her.  “You don’t have to live this life, L.  You haven’t gotten so deep that you can’t separate yourself.”  He wishes for her safety that she will consider what he says.

“Someday I will.  I never intended to do this for the rest of my life.  I’m not ready to stop though, not yet.”  She couldn’t.  There’s still so much horror and evil out there that she’d feel guilty not saving others from it.  “I’d give anything to go back and change what happened to my parents.  I’m not sure I’d be able to pull myself away from a world where everything had been righted and go back to…this.  I doubt I’d be strong enough to come back.” 

“Yeah, well _this_ , hunting, is what ended up pulling me back into reality.  Everyone I, or Sam, or Dad had ever saved ended up dying.  Me living a perfect life isn’t worth the lives of that many others.  My happiness for all those people’s lives?  It’s no contest, L.”  He knows he said this earlier in front of his father’s imaginary gravestone, but the truth behind it hasn’t changed.  He couldn’t live knowing that he could have helped those people. 

Lizzy lets go of his hand and for a moment he misses the connection, but when her hands land of the sides of his face he feels better again.  She fixes on his eyes briefly before pulling him into an intense kiss.  She can’t stop herself.  His benevolence never ceases to amaze her and it compels her to show her appreciation for who he is.

Home.  It is Dean first thought when he feels her lips against his.  The feeling of home was something he’d experienced for the first time in longer than he can remember while on his little mind fuck.  He’d felt it when he hugged his mother, when she made him a sandwich, when he mowed his first lawn, when he saw his brother happy, when he’d been alone with Carmen.  Right now, in his real life, he’s actually feeling it again.

She ends the kiss and, never letting go of her hold on his cheeks, looks him straight in the eye and pays him the greatest compliment he’s ever received. 

“You’re a good man, Dean Winchester.  Much better than most.” 

_I get it._ He hears his own words from his djinn-trip echo through his head.

“You need to know it and believe it,” Lizzy continues.

_Why you’re the one._   This time he isn’t thinking about Carmen.

The faintest of smiles tugs at his lips as she returns her fingers to their previous place within his.  Dean once again focuses downward and enjoys the sight, her hand so small within his, and finds a strange irony in them.  Their hands were so different in size, capability, and experience, but both sets were calloused and bruised by what they’ve respectively been put through.   Both sets tired and worn.  Both sets belonging to people who give up so much for what they believe to be right. 

“Thanks.”  Dean knows he should say more, but the lump in this throat is making it nearly impossible to do so.  He does his best to pull it together as Dean Winchester does not cry… often.

“For some reason I get the feeling you don’t particularly believe me, but the amount you sacrifice and all the good you and Sam do, I don’t want to know what shape this world would be in without you.”  She’s floored at how unaware Dean is of his own selfless and honorable nature.  When she looks at him, it’s all she can see.  It isn’t the lame pick-up lines or the bullshit exterior.  It’s the good that she focuses on and she couldn’t help that if she tried.

“Well, now you’re just trying to make me blush,” he jokes and looks up to see the beautiful chestnut eyes he’s seen in his memory several times since he’s met her.  That spark that he’d first recognized when they’d met is still there.  It is bright and hopeful.  It is exactly what he needs right now, to see those eyes.

“So,” she starts in a more serious tone.  “Who is this dream girl of yours?”  The curiosity is killing her.

Damn it, Dean thinks.  He was hoping to avoid this.         

“Figment of my imagination,” he truthfully tells her.  “I saw a picture of some woman in a magazine ad earlier that day and I guess my brain took over and created the rest of her.”

Lizzy stays quiet and nods her understanding to him.  She’s a little let down and she’s showing it.  They did only meet a few months ago and there is no relationship agreement between them, but Lizzy still feels a tug of disappointment.  

“Huh,” she sighs out.

“What?”

“Just thought that maybe… you wouldn’t have had to make-up a whole new woman.”  She isn’t trying to hurt him, not at all, but voicing her emotions is how Lizzy deals with them.  Being someone who wears their heart on their sleeve is a real son of a bitch sometimes.  It’s one way in which the two are totally different from each other.

Dean shifts uncomfortably in his seat.  “Honestly, me too,” he acknowledges.  “I thought a lot about it while on the way here, actually.  I think I wasn’t with anyone I’ve met before because all the women I’ve met have been through hunting.  I wasn’t a hunter anymore so none of our paths would have ever crossed.” 

Lizzy nods again, willing to go along with this theory.  It makes total sense and she’s a little relieved to have a reasonable explanation.

Dean swallows hard before speaking again.  “Listen, L.  If I had… if I could’ve…”  He stops.  Like so many times before, Dean can’t find the right words to express what he wants.

“Chosen?” she tries to finish for him.

“Yes.  If I could’ve chosen what my life looked like, who I was with… I wouldn’t have created a whole new chick.”

A large smile stretches across her face.  Understanding what he’s trying to tell her, she’s relieved that she isn’t alone in her feelings.  Lizzy wraps her arms around his neck and plants her lips once again firmly on his.  She is calmed by his words and this is her way of saying thank you.  Without loosening her arms, she pulls back slightly.

“Thanks for saying that, Dean.  Makes me happy to hear that.”

Dean smiles back, alleviated that he could help her overcome the letdown.  “I can kinda tell.” 

“Guess I did make that obvious,” she responds.  “Now let’s get you a burger and a long night’s sleep.  You’re looking like you need it.”

* * *

“Spill it, Sam,” Lou tells him, tossing Sam a beer can that she retrieved from their tiny motel room refrigerator.  He catches it as she takes a seat opposite him at the small, round table and cracks the can in front of her.  

“We found a djinn,” Sam begins while pulling on the tab of his own beer.  “I stayed at the motel to do some research and hide out while Dean went around town canvasing for any leads.  I called him while he was driving and told him I thought it might be a djinn based on some of the info I’d dug up.   Then I mentioned that they tend to hide out in ruins and Dean thought it might be in a warehouse he’d passed by.  He decided to check it out.”  Sam pauses and sighs loudly before continuing.  “He was only supposed to search the area and I told him not to go inside on his own.   Of course he didn’t listen.  Never does.”  Sam takes a large sip of the cheap beer in his hands.

“Older siblings don’t usually like being told what to do, especially by their younger siblings,” Lou offers.  “I can vouch for that.  I never listened to my little brother.”

“That must be it because Dean’s the same freakin’ way,” Sam says.  “He was right about the warehouse and the djinn got to him before he got to it.”

“And that’s when he tripped face for a while before you gallantly saved the day?” she smirks while tipping the can to her lips.  She always thought of Sam as the statelier of the two considering his lack of lewd comments and brash mannerisms.  Sam was always a gentleman.  Dean, not so much. 

“Kind of,” he answers.  “To be honest, Dean had to lend a hand at one point when I got caught with my pants down.”

“Ooh.  That’s just how I like you.”  She wags her eyebrow at him.

“Ha-ha.”  Sam jests and stares awkwardly at his open beer in front of him before drinking more.  She always had a way of objectifying him and he’s never grown fully accustomed to it.  “I was so focused on him that I became an easy target.  And once again he saved my ass.”

“But if it weren’t for you finding Dean when you did?”  She’s playing devil’s advocate and she’s right; if Sam hadn’t gotten there and found him, Dean could be in much worse shape than he is now.

“Yeah, true,” Sam smiles slightly down at his beer. 

“See, you did swoop in and save the day,” Lou leans over the table and extends her beer with an outstretched arm to which Sam brings his own can and they cheers.  Both gulp down a sip before Lou asks, “Did he tell you what he saw?”

“Yep,” he responds in a low, sad voice.  “He saw mom.”  It is a simple yet loaded statement.  Lou is well aware of his past and he knows she understands the gravity of what he tells her.

“Yikes.  That’s… beyond heavy.”  There isn’t much she can imagine that would be more difficult than seeing her own mother again.  She misses her dearly and sympathizes with what Dean is going through.  And it is certainly not what she’d expected to hear.  Dean gets one wish and it’s for his mother to be alive.  Very admirable.  Maybe Lizzy is right about him.  Maybe….

“Yeah.  Must have been tough,” Sam says in a surprisingly flippant tone.  Sam takes yet another large gulp of beer and then avoids eye contact, suddenly finding the horrendous framed art on the wall above one of the beds quite interesting.  Lou knows there’s more behind his glib behavior than he’s letting on.

“But it’s tough for you too, right?  Knowing what your brother has been through?  Knowing what he had to see?”  She’s confused by his response and is desperately trying to break through that wall, that damn Winchester wall they both loved to put up.  She wants to help him but he’s making it very tough to do so.  If only she had a bottle of tequila handy, she thinks to herself.  He’d be blabbing like a teenage girl by now.

“In a way.”  He lifts the can to his mouth but still makes no attempt to look her in the eye. 

“In what way?” she continues to pry.

“I don’t know.  Lots of ways I guess.”

She finally loses her patience with him.  “Sam, stop being a difficult ass and talk to me.  What’s the deal, bitch?” she demands.

He smiles a bit, finding humor in her way of getting information from him, before taking a deep breath.  He closes his lids and lets her know what has been eating him up.

“Why did _he_ get to see her?”  He says it quietly, feeling almost remorseful once he’s said it out loud.  He should be grateful that he wasn’t the victim this time, but jealousy is what he really feels.  The long drive gave him plenty of time to think, and after hours and hours of doing so the same questions kept nagging at him.  Why couldn’t it have been him instead of Dean?  Why couldn’t he have the chance to get to know his mother?

“Because _he_ got the shit end of the stick this time,” she explains with surprise.  “Dean’s the damaged one here.  You dodged a bullet.”  She’s confused by the reaction Sam has to the whole situation. 

“I know that, but Dean already knows her.  He had four good, happy years with her before this whole shit-storm started.  I have nothing except a couple old pictures and some stories Dean tells me.  I… I just…”

“You want to know her.”  It’s apparent to Lou now why Sam is affected so much by this.  Sam still never got his chance, never had time to be with his mother.

“Yes,” he answers with his head lowered.  He could never tell Dean any of this so it’s freeing to release some of the negativity that’s been building in him.

Seeing Sam this heartbroken is more than Lou can take.  She gets on her feet immediately and walks to his side of the table, kneeling down onto the old carpet in front of him.   She places her hands lightly on his knees on either side of her and cranes her neck under his shaggy hair to get his attention. 

“It’s unfair, completely and totally un-fucking-fair that you never got any time with her.  Sam, I am so sorry for that.” 

Sam places his hands on top of hers.  He doesn’t say anything, he just stays put for a moment and takes comfort in having someone besides his brother care about him. 

Lou’s heart aches with Sam’s predicament.  He’s lost so much and he doesn’t deserve any of it.  Now this burden is being thrown on top of the heap and it’s too much.

“I get the jealousy.  I think I would be jealous too, honestly.  But Dean never asked for what was handed to him, and in a way, I think it’s much worse that he had to see her like that, living and enjoying life.  That’s now a large part of Dean’s lasting memory of her, and it isn’t even real.  Are you sure that having no memory of her isn’t better than having a fake, never possible memory like Dean now has?”

Sam ponders what she’s saying and knows she’s right.  He’d never once thought of it that way.  Living with the painfully pleasant and completely made up image of her would be awful.  He can think of nothing worse.

“No.”  He curls his fingers around her hands.  The new perspective she gives him really helps alleviate the ache in his heart.  “You’re right.”

“No problem,” she responds with an eye roll, knowing that was his form of a thank you, and she stands up from her place on the floor.  “Don’t be so down, dude.  You made out like a bandit if you ask me.”

“I think you’re right,” Sam concurs while taking a large gulp of beer.

* * *

After Dean and Lizzy rejoined the two already in the motel, they all walked over to the 24 hour diner next door to pick up some very late-night dinner.  Once in the girls’ room, they sat and ate while catching up, sharing new hunt stories and random tales of what has happened to them in the past couple of months.  Sam at one point looks up from his salad while sitting at the small table and laughs at the site sprawled across one of the beds.  Dean is completely passed out, the half-eaten bacon cheeseburger in its Styrofoam container being used as his pillow. 

“That’s a new one,” Sam announces and the girls turn to see what he is commenting on.  “He’s never not finished a burger before.  Ever.”  Lou laughs when she sees the sleeping man but Lizzy does not.

“Dumbass is gonna choke in his sleep,” Lizzy worries as she gets up from her place on the other bed.  She slowly eases down next to Dean, gingerly lifting his head off his dinner, wiping the mustard and ketchup from his cheek with a paper napkin, and replacing his head into her lap.  “Hey, sleeping beauty.  Wake up for a minute,” she bids to him while hovering over his head.

“Mmm,” is all she gets as a response.  Dean wraps his arms instinctively around her waist and settles in.  Lizzy rolls her eyes.

“Don’t make me slap you, dude,” she warns while gripping his forearm around her stomach and shaking.  “Wake up for a second so I know you don’t have food in your mouth.”

]Dean opens his eyes and looks up to see Lizzy.  The smile he gives her is there before he knows it and she sweetly returns it immediately.  Dean thinks it’s the best wake up he’s ever had.

_I get it._ He hears the words again.  _Why you’re the one._ They pop into his thoughts unexpectedly and he begins to wonder if this is something he’s going to experience over and over.

Sam stops eating for a minute to watch the two.  He enjoys seeing Dean being taken care of like this.  He’s been in the caretaker position for so long that he deserves this.  Sam now understands why Dean wanted to come help the girls so badly.  Lizzy is exactly what he needs right now.

Dean sits up and continues chewing the bite he’d fallen asleep in the middle of. 

“Gross, man.” 

“Shut up, Sam,” Dean shoots back through the food in his mouth.  He rubs his eyes to help wake himself up.  “Can’t waste perfectly good burger.”

“No.  Sam’s right.  That’s gross.”  Lizzy laughs at him.  “Brush your teeth before you pass out again, ok?”

“Whatever,” Dean grumbles at the directions he’s given and heads into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.  Lizzy picks up his duffle bag off the floor and follows him.  She opens the door briefly, tosses the bag in, then pulls it closed. 

“Thanks Lizzy,” Sam says to her as she reclaims her seat on the bed closest to him and continues eating her own bacon cheese burger. 

“What for?”

“Just.... Dean needs that right now," Sam vaguely explains but she understands.  "He’s not as tough as he likes to pretend he is.”

“Yeah, no shit," she laughs slightly.  "Don’t worry, I’ve got his number.”

Sam agrees.  She certainly does have him figured out. 

“So, this case we’re working on is fucking weird,” Lou interrupts.  “I’m gonna suggest that we relax tonight, get some sleep, and dive in hard tomorrow morning.  I think Dean could really use the rest.  What do you guys think?”

“Sounds good to me,” Sam replies.

“Me too,” Lizzy concurs through her last bite while wiping her hands on her napkin.  She gets up and begins picking up the empty food boxes and utensils strewn around the room while Lou grabs the remote off the top of the TV and begins searching for something to watch.

“Lizard, Ghostbusters is on!” Lou exclaims.  “Starts in five.”

“One or two?” she asks.

“One,” Lou answers.

“Awesome.  I haven’t seen one in a while,” Lizzy cheers as she scrambles to get herself prepared.  “I’ll be ready in time if the princess ever gets out of the bathroom.”  She knocks on the door.  “Let’s go, lady!  Others need the little girls’ room!”  When she gets no answer at all after a few seconds Lizzy lets herself in.  Sam laughs as he catches the surprise on Dean’s face through the mirror’s reflection before she shuts the door behind her.

“How about a little privacy here?”  Dean says over his shoulder to Lizzy while relieving himself.

“You took too long.  What was I supposed to do?”

“Waiting until I wasn’t still mid-stream woulda been nice.”

“Please, like I haven’t seen the equipment already.”  She elbows him twice with a mischievous expression while hoping quietly to herself that she does in fact get the chance to do so again.  Dean flushes the toilet while Lizzy puts toothpaste on her toothbrush and pops it into her mouth.  “Gotta hurry up,” she tells him through the obstruction.  “Movie starts in a couple minutes.”

“What movie?” he asks while squeezing the toothpaste tube and prepping his own toothbrush.

“Ghostbusters.”

“First one or second one?”

“First.”

“Nice.  Surprisingly, I haven’t seen that one in a while.”  Considering all the time they spend in motels, Dean’s fairly certain he’s seen every single movie that has ever been made more times than he can count.

“Me neither,” she says before spitting.  “It was my dad’s all-time favorite movie… mine too, honestly.  Even if I’ve already seen it a thousand times, it always makes me laugh.”

Lizzy continues brushing, allowing herself to make eye contact every so often with the man she barged in on.  It felt comfortable and awkward at the same time to be so close to him again.  The two months apart were long and the phone wasn’t nearly enough for her.  She looks into his green eyes through the reflection in front of her and smiles.  She gets that giddy, puppy love feeling that she’d had when they first met.  This guy could be the end of her, she knows that now.  Usually Lizzy stays at a safe distance from people, but this time around she couldn’t help herself, even after hearing through the hunter’s grapevine what a mess he really was.  He didn’t have a vice of choice, he had several.  Booze, women, food… if it felt good he did it to excess.  Still, that didn’t do a thing to stop the draw she felt to him. 

She spits and rinses, giving Dean one last big, toothy grin before leaving him alone again.  Once the door closes Dean presses his palms into the counter, leans forward to spit out his toothpaste and examines himself in the mirror.  He’s beginning to feel better.  Still tired, still has bags under his eyes, he’s a bit pale and worn from the whole experience, but Lizzy has helped him just by being there and listening.  And honestly, that makes him nervous.  Sam is usually the one to assemble the pieces after he’s fallen apart, but this time his brother wasn’t enough.  He actually needed her.  Fuck.  Aside from Sam and Bobby, everyone he’s ever cared about ended up hating him, or even worse, they ended up dead.  Those are not options when it comes to Lizzy.

Pushing off the sink, Dean grabs his things and heads out into the room.  Avoidance is the key, right?  So he doesn’t allow himself to continue this train of thought. 

Instead, he drops his bag on the floor, kicks off his hefty boots, and falls onto his back on the bed he’d attempted to eat dinner on.  Hands resting behind his head, he lets his heavy lids shut once he’s settled in.  Dean feels the depression on the other side of the bed and someone’s head drops onto his chest.  Too tired to look, he smells the familiar and sweet scent of cherry and vanilla mixed together and knows it’s Lizzy by her shampoo.  He drapes an arm around her frame and it’s the last thing he remembers before stirring to the sound of people talking the next morning.

* * *

 


	3. Maybury P.D.

“So, this is everything we’ve come up with,” Lou announces.  Dean hears the voice coming from the far side of the room he’s been fast asleep in. 

“Damn, you’ve done a lot so far.”  Sam’s surprised.  There is much more than he’d expected to see piled onto the table in front of him.  Books, maps, notebooks, and the leather journal he and Dean had given them before they parted ways four months ago.  Seeing it makes him itch to check out what they’ve added to it.  He can practically hear Dean calling him a nerd at the thought.

“Thanks,” Lizzy responds.  “We’ve been here for about a week and have made a lot of progress.  Now, however, everything looks like a really big, really fucking annoying jigsaw puzzle.  No clue how it all fits together.”  Dean opens his eyes and watches as Lizzy spreads out a large map and places it over all the other items on the round table.  Shit, it’s officially work time.  Have to get up and join in the fun.  He does his best to sit up and swing his feet off the side of the bed, pressing his palms into the half open green orbs that were desperately trying to focus.

“What time is it?” he asks no one in particular from across the small room, announcing his consciousness.

“It’s a little after eleven,” Lou says sternly without looking up from their research.  The three hunters at the table waited as long as they could for him to wake up and now Lou is all business.

“Morning,” Lizzy says to him brightly before putting a to-go coffee cup into the microwave in the corner of the room. 

“How you feeling?” Sam questions, stealing his attention away for a moment to check on Dean.  He’s glad that his older brother finally managed a full night’s shut-eye.  It’s been a long time since Dean’s done that.  He hasn’t gotten a night of uninterrupted, restful sleep since that semi plowed into the Impala over a year ago.

“Surprisingly awesome,” Dean admits as he stretches his limbs.  It’s been eons since he’s felt this good.

Lizzy takes a seat next to Dean and hands him the now reheated coffee.  “It’s the best I’ve got.  You missed breakfast but I grabbed you a bagel and coffee.”

“Nice,” Dean smirks as he takes a sip of the terrible tasting liquid and scrunches up his face with the bitter flavor.

“Not great, I know, but it gets the job done, right?”  She places her hand on his shoulder briefly before standing to return to the table. 

_I get it.  Why you’re the one._

He hears his own voice echo in his head once again as he observes her walk away.  She’s wearing a tight grey t-shirt and the very short black shorts he’s known her to be fond of.  With legs like that, he hopes she never puts on a pair of pants.  Ever.  He drags his eyes upward and watches as she puts her hair up in a very messy ponytail with an elastic that was around her wrist.  Her hair is longer than when he’d last seen her, nearly reach midway down her back.  And it’s black now, not brown like before and somehow is compliments her fair skin.  It’s then that he spies the new scar running down the back of her right upper arm.  Good thing that whatever happened didn’t affect her left arm and ruin the artwork on it.  She’s proud of the tattoo sleeve she’s been working on and ruining it would devastate her.  He begins wondering what she and Lou have been up to and what could have happened to leave such a large mark.

“Hey!”  Lou snaps her fingers at Dean with impatience.  “Stop checking out the merchandise and join us.  We’ve got some shit to go over.”

“Easy Lou,” Lizzy laughs.  “Dude just woke up after a rough day.”

“Yeah, Lou.  Easy.”  Dean echoes in jest.  He receives a death threat of a glare from Lou in return.  “Ooh.  Sorry,” Dean apologizes as he hustles off his seated spot and adds himself to the group… on the opposite side of Lou.  He’s gotten the feeling that Lou might not be his biggest fan and after that look she gave him, he’s not ashamed to say he’s a little afraid of her.  She reminds him slightly of a younger Ellen in that way. 

Sam chuckles when he reads the fear on Dean’s face.  This girl is a whopping hundred pounds soaking wet with a stare that could kill.  Dean being scared of her is quite amusing for Sam.

“Ok, here’s the map I was talking about,” Lizzy begins.  Sam and Dean look down and study the large paper.  It’s a charting of the Missouri River and there are six large red X’s marked along the blue line, the last one on Nebraska City.  “Each X represents a place where men have disappeared,” she continues.  “This happens in fifteen year intervals and every time more men go missing than the last time.  The first time it was only one, then the next time it was two, then four.  It always seems to double.”

“This started way up in Great Falls?” Sam inquires, noticing the first red mark over the city.

“Yup.  In 1932,” Lou answers while writing the year above the first X.  “Then again in 1947, 1962, 1977, 1992, and this year.”  She marks each year as she announces it.  “Since this covers several different counties and states, and since it’s happened over such a huge time span, no one ever really put it all together,” Lizzy explains.

“Well, not until you two figured it out,” Dean praises them.

“I can’t take any glory for finding this pattern,” Lizzy says.  “This one was all Lou.”

“Really?  That’s impressive,” Sam tells Lou as he runs a hand down her shoulder and upper arm.  She smiles her thanks to him and secretly she’s filled with a serious sense of pride.  Sam is one of the best hunters out there so the compliment means more to her than he realizes.  “Alright, so what about the disappearing men themselves?  Is there a pattern there?” Sam inquires.

“They’re all youngish, between twenty and thirty years old.  And they are all unattached, none were married.  The only other thing we know is that most of the men who’ve gone missing around here were last seen at or were headed in the direction of Riverview State Recreational Area, right here,” Lou points to a green section on the map.  “A couple of abandoned boats were found in the river, the men on board just gone.”

“Yeah, one guy went out on his small motorboat after breaking up with his girlfriend and no one has seen him since,” Lizzy adds.

“Motorboat, ha,” Dean interjects.  Lizzy and Lou look unimpressed at best with his joke.  Sam rolls his eyes in response.

“Dude.  Focus, please,” Lizzy tells him, beating Sam to it.

“Right.”  Dean takes another sip of shitty coffee and decides it’s probably best to just not talk for now.  The girls seem to get very serious while in the middle of a hunt.  It’s very Samish of them, he thinks.

“Another boat was found abandoned,” Lizzy continues.  “It was taken out of the marina by the boat owner and his friend.  Both were never heard from again.”

“But it isn’t just people who took out boats that are missing,” Lou picks up the story.  “Three other guys are gone.  One went jogging by the river and the other two were random.  They were never out by the river that anyone knows about but both were last seen at bars in the city.”

“Alright,” Sam begins while taking a seat at the table and rifling through the many loose pages and books under the map.  There’s so much to go through.  “Any theories on what’s doing this?”

“We’ve got plenty, but nothing that seems to make complete sense.”  Lou runs a hand through her hair.  “We’ve been through the local history here and through the history of each location on the map.  Nothing happened in particular at any of them.”  Lou takes the seat opposite Sam while Lizzy and Dean remain standing. 

“What’s this?” Dean asks while lifting an old book up after seeing the strange symbol on the cover.  It’s dusty and faded.

“Book of folklore from around the world,” Lou explains.  “We hit a real brick wall here, so I was going to look into some creatures that maybe we haven’t seen or heard of before.  Haven’t got the chance to crack that one yet though.”

Dean tosses the weathered volume to his brother.  “Sam, you wanna take a stab at this?”  Dean knows where the true talent is when it comes to research.  His brother is brilliant, though he’d never cop to thinking so out loud.

“Yeah, definitely.”  Sam’s interest is more than peaked by the case they’ve presented them.  The opportunity to find something new is exciting, though a little unnerving.  He was under the impression that they’ve seen most, if not all, supernatural things that exist.  Going up against something unknown could be dangerous to say the least.

“Anyone grab a paper this morning?” Dean asks the room.

“Nope,” Lou and Lizzy answer in unison.

“I’m gonna go do that then.  Need to walk around and wake myself up once and for all.”

Dean leaves the three hunters to their research while he heads to the diner.  As sweet as it was for Lizzy to grab him a bagel, he needs something a little heftier this morning.  Something with substance… and grease.  Bacon and eggs it is, he smiles to himself while shivering against the cold Nebraska morning and making his way to the diner across the parking lot.

* * *

“Another one’s missing,” Dean reports as he enters the motel room only fifteen minutes after leaving.  He slaps the local newspaper onto the table.  “Guy goes for a little hike with his dog yesterday.  The dog showed up scratching at the front door of his house late last night without him.  Wife reported him missing early this morning.”

“Shit,” Lizzy exasperatedly lets out.  “Wait, wife?”  Confusion sets in with Dean’s last detail.

“Yeah, dude was married,” Dean says, knowing it breaks the victim pattern the girls had found.

“What the hell?  That doesn’t fit at all,” Lizzy says perplexed and angered by the information.  She tosses the pen in her hand exasperatedly off to the side and it drops onto the carpet a few feet from her.

“We gotta fucking figure this out,” Lou says in an anxious tone while dropping her own pen onto one of the open books in front of her.  “That’s seven people.  That’s way too many.” 

Lou leans forward and knots her hands in her hair.  She’s beyond frustrated.  They’ve been here for a week now and have come up with jack shit.  Having to hear that another person is gone is heartbreakingly difficult.

“When was the last time you checked in at the police station?” Dean inquires.

“We went in a couple days ago.  Chief of police wasn’t in that day though and as hard as I tried, we didn’t get much out of the visit.”  Lizzy knows where Dean is going with this.  She gets up off the spot she’s made herself on the floor and steps over the barrage of papers that had surrounded her.  Opening the closet, she pulls out her suit and heads to the bathroom.

“I’ll be ready in in like 30.  They already know me down there so I’ll go with you.  Get your FBI shit,” she instructs Dean.

He nods his head in pleasant surprise.  Bobby’s taught these two very well and now he’s excited to get the chance to see them in action.

“Either of you care to join us?”  Dean extends an invite to Lou and Sam.  Sam simply shakes his head no while already engrossed by the old book that had been lobbed to him minutes before.

“Nah, you two are fine,” Lou replies.  “Some people really like Lizzy down at the station.  I don’t think you’ll need more than her to get anything you want outta them.”  The way she smiles up at him makes Dean a bit uncomfortable.

Sam also looks up from his book grinning with what Lou is implying and looks at Dean.  The confusion and concern on his face makes Sam huff out a small laugh.  Sam almost wishes he could come just to see what Lou is talking about, but research needs to be done.

“Good luck with all that,” Sam yells to Dean as he heads back outside to grab his suit from the car.

* * *

“So I’m thinking that getting a room of our own after this would be a fantastic idea,” Dean suggests as he gets out of the Impala while adjusting his tie and starts walking towards the police station.  Lizzy steps out of the passenger side and smooths down the front of the pencil skirt she’s wearing.  She looks amazing in her FBI suit and keeping his hands off of her is damn near killing Dean.  The hair piled high and sleek on top of her head leaving her neck exposed, the black rimmed glasses framing her bright brown eyes, that tight skirt accentuating her curves, her low cut blouse, and the very high, shiny black pumps on her feet are driving him insane.  It’s a very, _very_ good look on her.

“Keep it in your pants, Winchester.  We have work to do,” she responds as seriously as she can, though if she was speaking what is really going on in her mind it wouldn’t sound so task oriented.  A man in a suit always did something for her, and Dean in a suit… well, it’s almost more than she can handle.  He cleans up much better than she’d expected him to.  Allowing herself to stare a bit before they took the short ride into town, she concluded that his ass is one of the finest she’s had the luck of coming across.  His broad shoulders accentuated by the blue, perfectly fitted blazer had made her want to tear the thing off of him from the start.  He looks _damn_ good and she’s working overtime to keep herself restrained.

“Fine, I can focus temporarily.  But honestly, that outfit…. L, Jesus.  I’m dying here.”  She smiles to him as he opens the front door for her, giving him a knowing wink that he prays means she’s on the same page as him. 

“Agent Joplin!” a cheerful voice shouts as she walks in the door.  Dean gives her knowing look.  She’s using a rock alias.  Very nice.

“Hello again, Officer Garvey.  How are you doing today?” she brightly smiles out in an overly friendly manner to the police officer as he speed-walks his way across the station to greet her properly.  He seems a bit too excited to see her if one were to ask Dean.  They shake hands as Lizzy continues to warmly smile up at him, her left hand enclosing their handshake.

“Doing much better now that you’re here, agent,” the officer responds.  Dean feels a sharp pang of jealousy and it’s not something he’s used to or comfortable with.  He dislikes how long their hands are attached and he hates the way he’s pretty sure Garvey just looked down her shirt.  This sucks.

“This is my partner, Agent Cash,” she introduces.  Dean grabs the officer’s hand and shakes it.  He knows he’s gripping too tight, but he doesn’t care.  He’s issuing his own little silent warning to the way too welcoming man. 

“Nice to meet you,” Dean says through his very fake smile.

“Likewise,” Officer Garvey responds in an equally fake manor before pulling his hand back quickly.  They both stare each other down for a moment before the officer asks Lizzy, “What happened to Agent Benatar?”

“Oh, she got reassigned,” she explains before leaning closer to him and saying in a quiet voice, “I’m stuck with the rook today.”  She nudges her thumb at Dean and he does his best to hide his anger over what’s playing out in front of him.  Rookie?  Really?

“Sorry,” Garvey laments to Lizzy.  “I know how that is.”  He points to the very young, very clumsy man across the room scrambling with the pile of files in his arms.  Lizzy giggles in a high-pitched way that Dean’s never heard her do before. 

“Listen, is you’re chief in today.  I didn’t get a chance to talk to him the other day and I would love to now, especially since someone else has gone missing.”

“Sure thing.  Let me go tell him you’re here.”  He grins at her one more time before turning toward the police chief’s office.

“Yeah, you go do that,” Dean mumbles under his breath before turning to Lizzy.  “What the hell was all that!?” he asks quickly in a hushed voice.

“What was what?” she feigns innocence in a whisper.  She’s amused with the way Dean is acting and she’s having fun pushing him.  Really, he’s making it too easy.

“You know what I am talking about.  You being all super friendly with that guy, calling me a rookie… and that wasn’t even your real laugh!” 

“Calm down, Hot Shot,” she warns.  “Don’t lose your cool in the middle of a police station.  Just trust me here, ok?  I know how to get what I want.” 

“Well, I don’t like how you go about getting what you want.”

“Really dude?”  She’s calling him out for his ridiculous reaction.  She knows how to do her job and do it well.  This side of him was fun at first, but now it’s a little overbearing.  “Jealous much?  Hello, I’m Agent Joplin.”  She holds out her hand once more as a tall and very round gentleman with a full, push-broom mustache makes his way towards her. 

“Good to finally meet you, Agent Joplin.  I was informed of your visit before and was sorry I hadn’t gotten the chance to meet you.  And who’s this?”  He nods in Dean’s direction and Dean offers his own hand.

“I’m Agent Cash.”

“Well, I’m Chief of Police Masterson,” he introduces with a welcoming smile.  “Why don’t you two join me in my office?”  Such a nice guy, Lizzy thinks.  She’s pretty sure she can get everything she needs out of these men.  The chief leads the way and the hunters follow, Dean sulking slightly as they do.

* * *

“Hey Lou,” Sam says to get her attention.  “What about this?”  He passes the old book across the table to her and she looks over the open page.

“Nixie?” she reads across the top of the page.  “What the fuck is that?”  Lou looks at the odd hand drawing of a mermaid looking water creature on the page Sam had open.  It’s green and covered in scales, gills, and fins but it has human qualities, like a human looking face.

“It’s a folkloric creature.  Sometimes they’re called knuckers, Rhinemaidens, nymphs, or a thousand other things depending on the area of the world they come from.  Most countries have some kind of lore on water beings.  Chances are that they’re based on something real considering so many cultures have stories of them.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Lou agrees.  “Alright, so tell me about these things.”

Sam pulls the book back to his side of the table and begins reading off some of the more important points.  “Well, in most cultures, they are females and they’re known to lure men into the water.  Supposedly they drown them, but the reason behind it is unclear.  There are many different retellings of water creatures, some saying the Nixie are benevolent and some saying that they’re malicious.  Many cultures compare them to sirens because their victims succumb completely to their beauty and song.  They put men in a trance making it easy to get them into the water and kill them and I think that could explain the missing guys.”

“Slow down for a second?” Lou requests.  She has her head lowered and she’s writing down what Sam recites to her on a yellow legal pad. 

“Sure,” Sam says and stays quiet while Lou catches up.  She’s diligent in her research, he will give her that.  It’s quite impressive to Sam.  He watches as she bites her bottom lip while concentrating on her note taking and he recalls the last time he’s seen her do that.  It was on Bobby’s couch in the middle of the night and they were into some seriously steamy activities.  He shakes his head, trying to wash away the thought.  He needs to focus.

“Ok.  Ready,” she says, bringing Sam back to their conversation.

“They also have a human form as well as their water form.  And they can live out of water for some time.  How long exactly is not known for sure.  This book lists it as a few hours on up to a week.  Could be longer though, since they’ve become adept at blending in with people.”

“Human form?  So they can look like humans?” she questions while still writing.  “They could be anybody?  Anyone in this entire town?”  She looks up at him, eyes wide with concern. 

“Any female, yeah.  The book says that they can be recognized by either their longer than usual legs or by a wet hem on their clothes.”

“Weird,” Lou says out loud mid thought.

“What?” Sam inquires.

“Lizzy and I went out on our first night here.  Went to a local dive on Monday before we started looking into everything.  Gotta get a good buzz on before heading into a case, right?” Lou giggles.  It is a well-known tradition of her and Lizzy’s.  “When we walked in, the first thing I noticed was the crazy amount of women in the joint.  Like, an oddly overwhelming amount.  And it wasn’t even ladies night.”  

“So what?  You think that those women…”

“Could be water creatures, the Nixie or whatever?  Yeah.  I mean, why not?”

“Any of them have long legs or wet clothing?”

“Hmm,” Lou thinks back.  “It was raining that night, so a wet hem wouldn’t have been noticeable.  But those chicks in the bar did seem taller than average, Amazon-ish, if you ask me.  Then again, everyone’s tall to me.”  She is very short after all, reaching only about five feet, two inches at the most.

They sit in silence for a moment while they think.  Sam’s sure they are on to something.  He can feel it.  It all just makes too much sense.

“Let me call Bobby, see if he’s ever heard of anything like this before.”

“Ok, then we could go to the marina, ask around about the missing boat dudes.”

Sam nods before getting up and grabbing his cell phone.  This is way easier with a dedicated research partner, he thinks to himself.

* * *

“What do you need to know, Agents?”  Dean and Lizzy sit across the large wooden desk from Chief Masterson.  Lizzy slowly crosses her legs and leans forward just a little, working to achieve that perfectly appealing angle.  She’s a firm believer in the saying if you’ve got it, flaunt it.

“Whatever you have on the recent rash of disappearances would be wonderful,” Lizzy explains.  “Don’t let them know I said this, but the Bureau is truly stumped.  And we would love to lend a hand, especially since this continues happening.”

“Well, we appreciate the help honestly.  We’re quite stumped ourselves.  Our community is panicked and I don’t have anything to tell them that will calm them down.”  The chief presses a button on his phone.  “Edith?”

“Yes Chief Masterson,” a woman’s shaky voice replies through the speaker.

“Could you bring in the box of information we have on the disappearances?”

“Sure thing, dear.”

The Chief leans back in his large leather chair and sneaks a glance Lizzy’s way.  Dean notices and shifts uncomfortably once more.  Masterson decides to make small talk while waiting for his assistant.  “So, Agent Joplin, I was told you had a female partner.”

“I did,” Lizzy replied.  “She was called away on another case.  The Bureau sent me Agent Cash to replace her.”

“Well, I hear she was a nice woman.  I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet her,” he says.

“I am too.  She really would have enjoyed her time here.  The people in this town are all so welcoming and kind.”  She’s sucking up to him as best she can.  It’s working.  She can tell from the large smile peeking from under Masterson’s enormous mustache.  “I have to say that Agent Cash is a great replacement though.  He’s very good at his job.  Pretty nice guy, too.”  She gently places her fingers on his forearm while telling the Chief this.  It makes Dean feel slightly better, but not totally.  Just then the door opens and an elderly woman struggling with a very full box walks in.  Dean is on his feet immediately.

“Let me help you with that.”  He takes the box from her and flashes his best smile. 

“See what I mean,” Lizzy winks to Chief Masterson.

“Oh, what a kind young man you are,” Edith compliments.  “And so handsome, too.”  She pinches his cheek as Lizzy stifles a giggle.  Dean does his best to keep the smile going.

“Thank you.  You’re kind to say so, Edith.”  The older woman leaves as Dean places the box on the desk and takes his seat once more.

“I have to say, I’ve never dealt with nicer FBI agents before,” Masterson compliments.  “The few I’ve come across have been cold and carry themselves with an air of superiority and total arrogance.”

“The FBI is currently trying to overcome that image.  Catching more flies with honey and all,” Lizzy responds before quickly changing the subject.  “So what do you have, Chief Masterson?”

They go over what the police have gathered and it is a surprising amount.  There is a full file on each missing man, including acquaintances and whereabouts for the week leading up to their disappearance.  Lizzy needs Lou and Sam to see all of the evidence.  She knows they would absolutely be able to make sense of this whole thing if they did.

“Would you mind if we borrowed all of this?  I know you’ve worked hard to collect everything, but it would be really helpful to run this by headquarters.”  Lizzy looks to Dean for support and he nods in agreement.

“I knew you’d ask,” the chief begins, “and I also know that legally I have no right to decline.  Just let me photocopy some things for our ongoing investigation and you can be on your way.”

“Thank you, Chief Masterson,” Lizzy says gratefully.  The large man leaves to get his copies.

“Wow, that was…easy,” Dean says as the two reclaim their seats.

“You know, I’ve found you can catch more flies with honey,” Lizzy grins to him.  He smiles back.

“About before,” Dean begins, feeling bad for the reaction he had to her behavior when they first arrived, “un, sorry.”  He now he knows why she had acted that way.  This is the most effortless trip to a police station he’s ever had.  She did it for the job at hand, for the people whose lives are at stake.

“It’s fine.  You’re a jealous person, I get it.”  She elbows him in jest.

“Looking the way you do right now, how could I not be?”  He lifts his eyebrows quickly, letting her know he isn’t giving up that easily.

“I think the outfit helps me get what I want.”  Lizzy knows it does.  She’s always been happy to use what she’s been blessed with to manipulate men in order to further a hunt.  It was fun, honestly.

_I get it.  Why you’re the one._   Again with the phase that’s haunted him all day.  He brushes it off.

“It certainly has my full attention.  And,” he says in a low voice, reaching his hand to her exposed knee, “I am hoping that after we leave here... what you want is me.”  She tries to hide the smile spreading across her face, but without her hair down to hide behind it’s a little difficult to do so.  His hand starts sliding its way up her thigh as he leans closer towards her, but stops immediately when the office door opens again.

“Here you go,” Masterson announces while Dean backs away from his partner and Lizzy once again smooths her skirt over in an attempt to do the same to her emotions.  “I hope this will help.”  The chief drops the large box on the desk in front of them with a thud.

“We’ll do the best we can,” Dean says while standing and offering a parting handshake across the desk.

“Thank you so much for your cooperation,” Lizzy says and offers her hand as well.  Dean grabs the box and they both walk out to the Impala quickly out of habit. 

* * *

“Hey Lizard, what’d you find?”  Lou answers her phone, hoping to hear that this trip to the station was a more successful one.  She turns down the volume on the Tom Petty mix, her favorite, she has playing in Lizzy’s car so she can hear better.

“Everything!  The chief was in and he gave me fucking everything, Louie!  Wait until you and Sam get a load of all this.  Even have workups on each missing person.”  Lizzy can’t hide her excitement over the get.  She’s never been someone who keeps her emotions on the inside.  She wears every one of them on her sleeve and she’s practically bouncing up and down in her seat since it’s rare that they walk out of a station with so much information.  Lizzy’s quite proud of herself this time.  It’s then that she feels the hand that had previously found its place on her knee in the chief’s office returns to its position.  She smiles over at Dean and recognizes the look in his eyes.  She knows full well what that look means and it makes her weak.

“Awesome!” Lou loudly responds.  “Can’t wait to look through it!  So get this; after Sam went through that old ass book we found at the library, he came up with a working theory while you guys were gone.  I think he’s really on to something too.”  Lou grins brightly at Sam in the driver’s seat.  She offered to let him drive and she was surprised with how readily he said yes.  She thinks Dean might commandeer that task most of the time.

Dean slides over from the driver’s side of the Impala and leans into Lizzy.  His lips waste no time landing on her exposed neck.   Her breath hitches at the contact.

“You still there?” Lou asks when she doesn’t hear from her friend.

“Yep.  Working theory.  That’s great!”  Lizzy tries her best to sound normal and calm, but when Dean finds that spot on her neck that drives her crazy she finds it damn near impossible to concentrate on Lou’s voice as she continues talking.

“I’ll give you a rundown of everything when we meet you back at the room.  For now, Sam and I are on our way to look around the marina and try to find anyone who’s seen anything.  Why don’t you two go check in with the latest missing guy’s wife?”

Lizzy lets out a sigh when Dean’s hand once again starts making its way up her skirt.  She grabs onto his forearm and, as much as she’d give anything not to, she stops him.

“Jesus, you ok over there Lizzy?”  Lou is getting impatient with her.  She’s being such a flake.

“Fine, sorry.  I was just looking over one of the files.  We’ll head to….” Lizzy frantically reaches into the box and takes out the most recently created manila file, “Peter Davis’ house right now.”  Dean makes a disappointed face at hearing this.  Waiting even longer to have her is not something he was trying to do.

“Get it together woman.  We’ll see you in a little bit,” Lou instructs.

“Sounds good.”  Lizzy ends the call and whips her head around to the clearly frustrated man next to her. 

“You’re killing me, you know that right?” Dean says with an exaggeratedly sad expression he hopes she’ll give in to.

“Not doing it on purpose,” Lizzy honestly tells him.  “We have to get this stuff done, horn-ball.”  Lizzy leans away from him and into the cold glass window, straining to cool herself off.

“So where does this Peter Davis live?” he asks while starting the car.  When he returns his focus to the passenger side he sees that she’s taken off the jacket of her suit.  “L, put the jacket back on!  Please!”

“What?  Why?” she asks with confusion.

“Because when you take it off you’re one ruler short of being a naughty school teacher.  That isn’t helping anything.”  Dean does his best to train his sight out the windshield and not on her.  She isn’t letting him get what he wants and he isn’t used to that.  Self-restraint is not generally Dean’s forte. 

“Should’ve thought of that before you got me all hot and bothered.”  Despite what she says, she puts the jacket back on.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.  705 Hauser Street.”  Lizzy plugs the address into the GPS she’s brought from her own car and sets it up on the dash for Dean as he pulls out of the parking lot.  “Naughty school teacher, huh?” 

“Yeah,” he quietly answers.

“Interesting…” she smiles slightly evilly, cataloging away his fantasy for a better time and place.

* * *

 


	4. The Power of a Good Suit (or Two)

* * *

“Excuse me, sir!” Sam yells out while he jogs down the large dock toward a man who looks like he works at the marina.  Lou runs quickly behind him, trying to keep up with the man whose legs are triple the length of her own.

“Yes?” the man questions once he sees the two running at him.

“You work here?” Sam asks once he reaches the man wearing a heavy overcoat and baseball hat with the marina’s logo on it. 

“Sure do.  What can I do for ya’?”

“Let me introduce myself,” Lou cuts in once she catches up.  “I’m Lou.  This is Sam.  We’re reporters for a local newspaper.”

“I’m Jim.  Ah, Lou did you say?”  The man looks confused by her name.

“Nickname, short for Louise.  Never been a huge fan of my full name,” she truthfully explains away.  “We’d like to ask you a few questions if we could.”

“Uh, sure.”  The man rolls his eyes.  “I’ve already talked to the cops and about three other reporters.  What more do you need to know that hasn’t been printed in any of the other papers?”

“We’re sorry you keep getting your workday interrupted,” Sam apologizes to the man.  “Our boss sent us out to gather more info.  As much as you don’t want to have to talk to more reporters, we don’t want to have to ask.  I promise you that.”

“Yeah, I hear ya’.”  The marina worker peers out to the river and then comes back to the two reporters in front of him.  “You know, this was supposed to be my day off?”

“That sucks big time,” Lou commiserates before getting an idea.  “What do you say we come back a little later when you aren’t on the clock?  We’ll have a chat over a beer.  On us.”  The man looks skeptical.  “Or three?” Lou pushes with her best pleading smile.

“Sounds good to me,” Jim says.  “Honestly, I could use a little relaxation time.  New baby at home, people crawling all over this place looking for answers constantly.  It’s been crazy.  How ‘bout Joe’s Bar in an hour?”

“Absolutely.  We’ll see you then.”  Lou agrees and starts walking back toward the car.  Sam follows.  She links her arm in his much like she had the night before and, turning to make sure they are out of Jim’s eyesight, pulls him down a little so he can hear her.

“We have one hour.  We better be quick,” she tells Sam before pulling him in the direction of the marina boathouse.  They reach the door and Lou tries to open it, but it’s locked.  “Alright, you’re up.”

“What the hell are we doing Lou?” Sam asks, clearly confused by what it is she’s after.  Lou points through the darkened window and he sees the tiny, blinking red light.  Security camera.  Sam takes out his lock pick and gets to work.  He has the door open in no time and the two sneak in.

“Wow that was fast.”

“Lots of practice,” Sam retorts.

“Well I’m impressed.  You’re handy to have around, you know that?” Lou laughs while clapping Sam on the back.

“Thanks.  Ah, how exactly did you see that?” Sam wonders out loud to Lou who is already searching the small and very cluttered room for the computer connected to the camera.

“I’m just that good, Sam,” she jests with a touch of arrogance.  “Seriously thought, places like this always have security.  This one is crazy well hidden so I am hoping the cops overlooked it.  Start looking for the computer that…”

“Found it,” Sam announces in the middle of her sentence.  He takes a seat in the old wooden chair in front of the desk with the out of date computer on it.  Turning the monitor on, he starts looking through the dates listed in the saved history.  “When was it that the two guys disappeared?”

“February 24th,” she answers while leaning over his shoulder and taking over the computer.  Sam sighs as he’s slightly annoyed with her for doing so.  She opens up the video from the day in question and begins fast forwarding through.  “It was later at night that the guys took out the boat,” she says, explaining what she’s doing.

“Wait.  Stop.  Who’s that?” Sam suddenly asks.  They both watch intently as the video, which has been forwarded to 11:34 PM, reveals two people, a man and a woman, hand in hand walking drunkenly down the dock.  The woman trips on her own heels and the man she’s with almost gets dragged down with her. 

“Holy shit, is that our boy Jim?” Lou questions as they view the couple stumbling their way to an empty docked boat.  They climb aboard and disappear from view over the edge, giving only a couple glimpses of themselves every now and then.  They see the flash of woman’s bare leg and a shirt flying up in the air over the side of the boat.  “Whoa.”

“I’m starting to think there’s a reason the cops never found out about the security system.  Jim hid it from them.  And I’m willing to bet that that woman isn’t Jim’s wife, who just had a baby.”

“Oh I doubt it,” Lou quickly adds.  “What a good new father he is, huh?”

“The best,” Sam mocks.  “What’s that?” Sam points to the side of the screen and they watch as two men, followed by two women, make their way down the dock past the occupied boat.  Jim and the mystery woman see the foursome and duck down low to hide while they pass.  “Those the missing guys?”

“Sure looks like them, or at least the pictures of them from the papers.  And do those two women look a little tall to you?”

“Sure do,” Sam answers. 

The group of four walk out of frame and Jim and the drunken woman carry on their previous activities.  Lou pauses the tape.  “So Sam, looks like you were on to something with that whole Nixie thing.  Nice job, man,” Lou says while high-fiving him.

“Thanks.  I just wish Bobby had known something on this whole thing.  He’s never even come across anything like this which is a little nerve-wracking.” 

“Yeah, it’s scary, I’ll give you that,” she concedes while nodding her head.

“At least he said he’d ask around for us.  Hopefully some hunter knows something out there.”

Lou straightens up, lending her hand to help Sam out of the chair.  “What do you say we head to Joe’s early and grab something to eat?” she asks.  “I’m starving.  And a beer wouldn’t be too bad right about now either.”

“Sounds good to me,” Sam grins as he stand with her help.

* * *

Dean presses the doorbell and they hear the tone sound inside the large brick house while they wait on the front porch.  A dog starts to frantically bark before the front door opens.

“Easy, Guin.”  The woman inside holds the dog back by its collar to help keep it from running straight into the strangers.  She has a stack of envelopes and magazines in her other hand.  “Can I help you?”

“Are you Mrs. Jennifer Davis?  Peter’s wife?” Dean asks. 

“Yes I am,” she responds in a low tone.

“I’m Agent Cash, this is my partner Agent Joplin.”  They hold out their respective badges.  “We’d like to ask you a few questions if that’s possible.”

“Sure.  As soon as I can calm Guinness down you can make yourself at home.” 

“Hey Guinness,” Lizzy soothes as she kneels to the floor, letting the Border Collie smell her extended hand.  “It’s ok, buddy.”  He begins licking her fingers and warming up to her.  “Beautiful dog,” she compliments his owner.

“Thanks.  Sorry about his craziness,” Jennifer apologizes.  “He’s been a little off and severely over protective since… you know.”

“I understand.  That’s actually what we came to talk to you about,” Lizzy explains from her position on the floor. 

“I figured,” Jennifer replies with exhaustion.  “Come on in.”

The two follow the woman and her dog into the very large, quite pristine home.  Dean looks around and is impressed.  “Nice place you have here.”

“Thanks.  Pete’s been successful in his line of business.  We’re definitely blessed.”

“What does he do?” Lizzy inquires.

“He owns his own business.  They make industrial, laminated doors.  It’s a very specific product used in factories and whatnot.  He’s one of the few out there who does it.”

“Smart.  Find a need and fill it, right?” Lizzy smiles.

“Exactly,” Jennifer smiles right back.  “Please, take a seat in the living room.  I’m going to get this guy in the backyard.  Coffee?”

“Please,” Dean and Lizzy reply at the same time.  They look at each other for a beat with the coincidence before walking into the living room.  They take a seat on the couch and sit quietly while waiting for Jennifer to return.  Dean starts picking at the candy dish on the coffee table, popping one in his mouth before going in for another.  Lizzy swats his arm to get him to stop.

“We’re supposed to be professionals, remember?” she scolds him.

“Even professionals like candy, L,” Dean returns with annoyance while dropping one last piece in his mouth despite what she says to him.

“Here you go,” Jennifer breaks in while walking into the room and handing over the two mugs in her hands.

“Thank you so much.”  Lizzy takes a sip before putting the mug atop a coaster on the coffee table.  “So, how are you holding up Jennifer?”

“I’m doing as well as I can I guess.” 

Dean knows she’s lying.  The bags under her eyes alone let him know she’s having a more difficult time than she’s admitting to.  Dean places his mug onto the coffee table next to Lizzy’s. 

“I can’t imagine not knowing where my loved one is,” Lizzy begins as she leans forward to slide a coaster under Dean’s mug.  “I know it isn’t easy having to talk about everything once again, but we want to help.  Can you tell us about the day Peter disappeared?”

“It was like every other day I guess, nothing too special or different.”  Jennifer sits in one of the upholstered chairs, putting the pillow from it into her lap.  “It was Sunday, so Pete drove Sarah, our youngest, to soccer practice.  Then we all ate lunch together here and he decided to talk a hike by the river.  He loves bringing Guinness out there.  You know, I always joke about Guin being his best friend.  That dog never leaves his side, so when he came home alone that night, I was terrified.”  She’s nervously playing with the fringe on the edges of the pillow.

“Does Pete go on hikes a lot?”Dean asks. 

"Walks, yes."

“Is he familiar with the area?”

“Riverside?  Knows it like the back of his hand.  Goes all the time, even when it’s freezing out and you couldn’t pay me to go.”

“Have you noticed anything weird about him lately,” Dean questions, “like maybe he’s been acting differently or he’s been hanging out with some new people?”

“Not particularly,” Jennifer begins.  “He’s seemed the same.  He did mention a new assistant at work, though.  His usual secretary, Erin, is out on maternity leave and he hired a temp.  He said she was pretty good, really nice too.  Other than that, I don’t think so.”

“Ok,” Lizzy says.  “We’ll let you be now.  If you think of anything, doesn’t matter how weird or trivial you might think it is, would you give me a call please?  Like I said, we want to help out.  We’ll take anything you give us.”  Lizzy hands over a business card to Jennifer.

“Thank you very much.  I will.” 

The hunters begin walking towards the front door when Lizzy stops to look at the framed family portrait on the far wall.  It’s Peter, Jennifer, and two girls.  “Lovely picture.  Your girls are beautiful,” Lizzy compliments. 

“Thanks,” Jennifer replies with a strained smile.  “You know, Pete loves them with all his heart.  They are both Daddy’s Little Girls.” 

“He’s a little outnumbered around here, huh?” Dean tried to joke.  He’s not sure he could survive a household of three females and just him.  That’s way too much estrogen.

“Oh most definitely,” Jennifer agrees.  “He loves those girls with everything he has, but he regrets not having that boy he always wanted.  Peter Jr.”

“I can understand that.  I come from a home of three girls.  My poor dad!  Dance recitals instead of baseball games, right?” she laughs and lies.  Dean laughs too knowing full well that Lizzy is an only child.

“You could always go for kid number three and cross your fingers, right?” Dean adds in.

“I would love to, but can’t.  Long story short, after having Sarah I can’t have any more kids.  We are in the process of filing adoption papers though, so who knows.”  The sadness creeps across her face and voice comes out slightly choked up.

“Sorry to hear that,” Lizzy sympathizes. 

“Yeah, me too.  Pete was never totally sold on the adoption idea anyways.”

Lizzy places an understanding hand of Jennifer’s shoulder and offers a tight-lipped smile in condolence.

“Thank you so much for your hospitality, Jennifer,” Dean says as the two make their way out of the house.

Once back in the Impala, Lizzy barely waits for Dean to close his car door before she starts in.

“We have to find out more about the new chick Peter hired.”  She’s had a strong instinctual need to look into this ever since Jennifer mentioned the new woman though she isn’t sure why.  “I’ll look up the address of Davis Laminates and we can head there now,” Lizzy says checking her phone.

“How’d you know the name of his business?” Dean asks.

“I’m fucking goooood,” she jokes goofily.  Dean laughs quietly and starts driving.

“Honestly,” he asks while looking over to her, “How’d you know?”

“They have a mail slot on the front door.  Jennifer picked up the mail off her foyer floor before opening the door.  Read it off of one of the envelopes in her hand.” 

“Sneaky,” Dean replies smiling.  She _is_ good.

* * *

A couple beers deep and Lou practically forgets why she and Sam are sitting at the dirty, dark bar.  They’ve been talking for nearly an hour and the time flew by. 

“So what does the moron do?  He grabs Lizzy’s ass,” Lou tells Sam.

“Bad idea,” Sam laughs and can picture how Lizzy would react to such a thing.  Having seen her in one bar fight in the past was enough to let him know how hot her temper is.

“Yes it was!” Lou laughs loudly.  “She then calls him an asshole and tells him if he wants to keep his grabby little hand he’d better not touch her again.  Of course her version had much more colorful language in it.”

“I can imagine.”  The girls do have the same vocabulary as most truckers.  Lou once told him it’s a Boston area thing to curse so much.

“This guy must have been a complete fucking idiot, because instead of backing off he goes in and grabs her ass again!”

They both laugh loudly.  “So what, the guy now has a hook for a hand?” Sam asks.

“Oh no.  He was allowed to keep his hand.  Instead, she clocked him in the face so hard he was blacked out before he even hit the floor.  Totally dead to world.”  She continues laughing.

“What!?” Sam laughs.

“I know!  She’s fucking insane!  It got us a free bar tab that night though and we got really shitfaced on the house.  The bar tender said he’d never seen a woman just crush a dude like that and he was impressed.  She’s not someone to fuck with, I promise you that,” she says with pride.  As much as Lou is annoyed when Lizzy’s temper gets the better of her, she still has a lot of respect for a woman who can actually back up the shit she talks.

“I don’t plan on ever crossing her,” Sam chuckles.  “Now I’m just worried for Dean’s safety.”  Maybe a chick giving him an ass kicking would be good for Dean in the long run.  Knock him down a peg or two, Sam thinks.

“You should be!”  Lou takes another sip of beer.  “Though I think I am more worried about Lizzy.”

“Why do you say that?” he asks though he already has a good idea why Lou would.

“What’s the deal with your brother anyways?”  The conversation takes a sudden serious turn and Sam doesn’t like it.

“Deal?”

“Yeah, what’s he about?  It’s not like there are a million hunters out there.  The network is small and word travels fast.  I’ve heard he’s a little... indulgent, for lack of a better word.”  Lou had begun checking up on Dean the second she realized how invested Lizzy had become in him.  She thinks Lizzy is not being as cautious as she should be considering what they’ve heard.  Lou has also had her reservations toward Dean since they’d met.  Sure, he and Lizzy have plenty in common, but his brash personality doubled with his less than morally driven actions worry her.  She doesn’t need to see her best friend hurt. 

“Indulgent, huh?” Sam asks, trying to give himself time to think and formulate a proper defense for his brother.

“Yeah.” 

“Dean has been known to do what he wants when he wants to.  That’s true.  But he’s not as bad as you’re thinking.”

“Oh, no?” Lou challenges.

“No,” Sam replies.  “I feel like he’s gotten a bad reputation.  He hasn’t had an easy life, honestly.  He was forced to be an adult since he was four years old.  Sometimes, I think he seeks out fun because he didn’t have much as a kid.  He was too busy being a soldier in the fight or my substitute dad when ours wasn’t around.”  Sam takes a large gulp of beer.  It is a quite accurate analysis of one Dean Winchester if he did say so himself.

“I completely understand that and I’m sure I’d be the same if I had been denied my childhood too.  But I need to worry about my best friend here and it’s the fun he seeks that makes me nervous,” she admits.  “I’m not saying that Dean’s a bad guy.  I honestly don’t think that he is.” 

“Good.  Because he’s not,” Sam defends. 

“He’s impulsive and cocky at times yes, but I do think he’s a good person.  But, Lizzy is my top priority.  I don’t have much left in this world and she means more to me than I can explain.  I think you can fully sympathize with that.”  She smiles knowingly to him.  Sam nods his agreement to her.  “I just don’t want her to get hurt.  She’s pretty emotionally invested in him, you know?”

“Oh, I know,” Sam says.  “And honestly, I know for a fact that it’s a mutual thing.”

“Do you now?” Lou wonders.

“I do.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Let’s just say Dean’s extracurricular activities have slowed drastically since meeting Lizzy.”  Besides Tara, Dean had not done his usual bar hopping in search of a flavor of the night in months.

“Really?” Lou asks disbelievingly.

“Yep.  He’s been a pretty good boy,” Sam laughs.

“That’s very reassuring to hear.”  Sam couldn’t have made Lou happier with what he tells her.  She’s much less worried hearing that Lizzy isn’t going to get her heart crushed any time soon.  She calms down a bit and decides to give Dean more of a chance.  She knows she’s been standoffish with him.  Hopefully she gets the opportunity to get to know him better, like she had promised.

"Honestly, I'm more worried about Dean," Sam adds in.

"Really?"  Sam nods at Lou and she has to ask, "Why?"

"Because if there's one woman out there that can crush Dean like a bug... it's her.  And I don't mean physically."

Lou simply smirks at this.

“Hey,” Jim says taking a seat at the high top table Sam and Lou were at.  “Thank God that day is over.  Fucking cold outside, man.”

“Let me get you something to warm you up then,” Lou greets.  She gets up to buy another round for the table and the three settle in to talk.

“So basically we just want to know if you saw anything the night the two guys disappeared,” Sam explains.

“Like I told the police, I wasn’t around that night.  I only work days.  Thanks,” He says grabbing the pint glass from Lou after she offers it. 

“What about the security cameras?” Sam asks.

“Don’t have any,” Jim responds, never looking away from his beer.

“What about the camera in the boathouse that’s aimed out at the dock?” Lou questions.  Jim’s surprise is apparent on his face.  She stares him down, making sure he understands that he’s caught.

“That thing doesn’t work anymore.  It’s a piece of crap.  I’ve been telling my boss to replace it for a while now.”  Jim’s eyes dart around the room, unable to find a resting spot.  Lou and Sam share an understanding glance.  He is lying through his teeth.

“Look, Jim,” Sam starts, “We know you were out there that night.  We know you saw the two men take the boat out….”

“How do you know?”  Jim looks panicked.

“We did some research, Jim,” Lou tells him.  “We know and we aren’t here to rat you out to your wife or anything like that.  We just really need to know what you saw, if anything.”

Jim stays quiet for a moment.  He downs half his beer quickly before answering Lou.  “I saw the two guys walk out to their boat with two women.  They just took it out for a little night spin, I assumed.  Wouldn’t be the first time people did that.”

“Was there anything weird or off that night, or with the girls maybe?” Sam pries, trying to push him in the right direction.

“Not really.  They were pretty hot though, real tall too.  Legs for days on those chicks, damn.”  Lou shoots him a slightly disgusted look out of habit and Sam lightly kicks her under the table to get her to stop before asking another question.

“What about the other guy who took his boat out midday, a few day before that?  Were you there?” Lou asks.

“Yeah, I don’t remember him very well but he was with a girl too.  Another hottie,” Jim explains as he drinks more.  “Huh, so weird.”

“What’s weird?” Sam questions.

“All the hot chicks in this town all of a sudden.  This isn’t exactly babe city.  Never been like this before.”

“That is weird,” Lou confirms, deciding she is done with the rude man.  “Thanks Jim.  You’ve been really helpful.”  She gets up and starts walking for the door.  Sam gives Jim an apologetic look and heads out with her.

“What a fucking creepster,” Lou mumbles under her breath as she pushes through the front door and walks quickly to the car.  The two leave Jim alone to finish his beer and get back to the motel.  They had a lot of information to piece together.

* * *

The door of Davis Laminates opens as Dean pushes on it with his palm, letting Lizzy in before him.  He puts his lock pick back into his jacket pocket.

“Why thank you kind sir,” Lizzy says to him in her most proper voice while goofing around.  Dean rolls his wrist in the air and bows his head while she walks past him, dragging her fingers lightly across his stomach as she does.  Even through the white button-down his skin jumps at the contact.

“Hey, hands to yourself woman.  You _are_ still wearing that suit,” he points out while looking her down and up for the hundredth time that day.

She shakes her head.  He isn’t going to stop; he’s made that much clear.  It doesn’t help that the feeling is mutual.  She’s practically jumping out of her panties to get at him and keeping herself at bay is getting harder and harder the longer she holds off.  She needs to keep herself occupied and she begins looking around.  She spies the small desk sitting just outside a closed office door labeled with a plaque reading Peter Davis.  Walking over to it she sees the pink, feather topped pens and makes the assumption.

“I think I found our new girl’s desk,” Lizzy announces.  “Her name is Ariel Smith,” she reads off of the paperwork on the desk.

“Who names their kid Ariel?” Dean wonders.

“People who love The Little Mermaid.”

“Huh?” Dean asks, very confused.

“You must be more of a Beauty and the Beast kinda guy.”  She laughs and starts digging through the desk drawers.  “Ok, odd.  Come check this out.”

Dean joins her behind the desk and peeks into the open bottom drawer.  It’s filled with eight unopened water bottles.  “Who drinks that much water?”

“Couldn’t tell you,” she responds.  “Other than this, the drawers are empty besides her work stuff.  No personal things at all besides those ridiculous pens.”

While Lizzy scans the paperwork one last time, Dean opens up the office door next to the secretary’s desk and heads straight for the metal filing cabinet, opening the drawer labeled employee files.  He finds the one marked ‘Smith, Ariel’ and drops it on the boss’s desk.  Lizzy walks in and stands next to him to start reading through the contents.

“There’s, like, no information here,” Lizzy observes.  “Doesn’t even have a home address listed.  Just says she came from some temp agency called Job Seekers.”  She pulls out her phone and starts dialing the number listed for the agency.  “Who hires a person that doesn’t disclose any personal information?  So shady,” she comments while the line rings briefly.  Dean keeps looking around and pulls a post-it note off of the monitor on the desk.  He looks at it closer and takes a seat in the large leather desk chair.

“I got an out-of-service message,” Lizzy informs him while ending the call.  “That’s strange to me.  They sent Ariel to a new job and then immediately shut down?  Makes no sense at all.” 

“How about this,” Dean asks while sticking the post it note onto his forehead for her to see.  There’s a phone number and a heart written in pink ink on it.  “How much you want to bet this came from Ariel?” he assumes while pointing to the paper obstructing his view.  Lizzy giggles at his rarely silly behavior.

“Everything I’ve got.  That’s definitely her handwriting,” she says while pulling the note off of his brow with a smile.  She dials the number and gets yet another out of service message.  “What a surprise,” she sarcastically remarks while hanging up.

“Alright,” Dean figures.  “So this Ariel chick pops up out of nowhere, no background what-so-ever, and has an affair with Peter.  Now they’re both gone.  What the hell is going on here?”

“No clue.  But we’re definitely missing something.”  Lizzy leans over the desk slightly and takes a look at the picture in a silver frame by the monitor.  She recognizes the smiling happy faces of Jennifer and Peter, arm in arm, looking back at her.  Lifting it up and running a finger over the smooth silver, she’s saddened by the frozen scene that is meant to be cheerful.  “They look so happy,” she states out loud in a somber tone.

“Let me see?”  Dean hooks an arm around her waist and pulls her down so that she’s sitting on his leg.  Lizzy turns so she’s sitting sideways and she can face him.  She holds the picture in front of them both as they study it together.  “Yeah, they do look happy.  How does a guy go from being so happy to cheating on his wife in such a short amount of time?”

“Short amount of time?” Lizzy questions.

“The date is digitally stamped in the bottom corner.  That was taken less than a month ago.”

She sees he’s right.  “Good catch.” 

She sits on his knee studying the picture and showing just how upset the whole thing is making her.  She sympathizes completely with the people in the picture and Dean finds himself captivated by her once more.  He respects how much she cares about others, whether she knows them or not.  It’s a beautiful quality.

Her bangs had come slightly loose from her up-do through the day and a strand has fallen in front of her eyes.  Dean brushes it off to the side and tucks it behind her ear but keeps his hand lightly pressed against her cheek.  He turns her head so that she’s looking at him and with his free hand he takes the picture from her and places it back onto the desktop.  Slowly he brings her towards him, locking his lips with hers.  He’s been waiting all day for this opportunity and doesn’t hesitate to take it once it presents itself.  They’ve both been keeping themselves at bay and now they melt into one another with the release of finally giving in.  Their embrace is deep, lips moving slowly at first but picking up pace as their desire quickly grows.

That taste, he thinks.  It’s the sweet flavor of Lizzy’s lip gloss and it brings him back to the months before when he’d first experienced it.  He feels the slick gloss rub off on him but he doesn’t care.  He revels in the taste of it and of her.

Lizzy can’t keep her hands off of him now that Dean’s finally managed to get her going.  They were in his hair, running down his chest, gripping his biceps tight.  They never stopped moving over him.  Who was she kidding, really?  She had felt that same want, that same absolute urgency from the moment she’d seen him in his dark blue suit.  Apparently they share a fetish for a certain type of clothing, she thinks.  Lizzy had been doing well with denying the lust she felt… until now.  Moving her lips away from his, she kisses a trail across his cheek, over his jaw, stopping briefly at his earlobe to nibble lightly before making her way to his neck.  The frenzy she’s in grows and she sighs in frustration when the white FBI disguise button-down and sleek black tie get in her way.  Pulling away from him, she loosens the knot at his throat, draws the long fabric out from under his collar and begins undoing the buttons of his shirt when his hands land on the back of her neck, pulling her into another kiss. 

Lips moving with sheer passion and tongues dancing together, Lizzy has his shirt nearly open when he grabs the lapels of her blazer and pushes it off her shoulders aggressively, tossing it to the floor.  He searches out that ever so sensitive spot on her neck, much like he had earlier, and she moans.

“God damn, I’ve been waiting too long for this,” she tells him.  It was the longest two months of her life.  He drags his tongue across her collarbone before lifting his head to meet her eyes.

“Too fucking long,” is all he gets out before she seeks out his lips once more.  Those fucking lips, she thinks.  Many times when he speaks she catches herself watching them and having dirty thoughts involving them.  They’ve haunted her dreams for months now.  Green eyes be damned, those lips are what brings her to her breaking point every time.  Of all his fantastic features, this was her favorite.  She pulls her too tight skirt up her thighs and straddles his lap.  She gasps both his jacket and shirt on each side and peels them back.  Dean helps her get them off and is left with only his white tank.

He begins working on her buttons much like she had done on him moments before.  Lizzy reaches lower and soon Dean hears the clink of his belt buckle being undone.  The sound pushes him off the ledge he’s been teetering on the edge of and he forgoes the buttons, pulling the crisp cotton shirt over her head.  She lets go of her work for just a quick second, enough time to lift her arms to aid him.  The clip holding her hair comes loose when her button up catches it and her dark strands cascade down past her shoulders.  The familiar vanilla-cherry scent surrounds him. 

Dean grabs underneath her, picking her up with a tight grip on her thighs and gets up from the chair until he’s standing.  She wraps her arms around his neck and legs around his waist, pressing her lips into his with fervor.  Lowering her onto the desk, he stands over her looking down and pauses for a moment. 

Lizzy is leaning back, propped up on her elbows and starring into him.  She’s a mess, but what a wonderful mess she is and it is all his own doing.  Left with only a black bra, a skirt hiked way up her legs, and her shiny black pumps, her chest heaves with her quickened breathing and her lips are full and deep pink from kissing him.  Everything about her is disheveled and perfect, he thinks.

“Dean,” she calls to him while he’s lost in thought.  He reconnects with her dark eyes and sees the lustful impatience.

“Sorry,” he says while smiling drunkenly.  “Just enjoying the view.”

“Baby, you can do whatever you want,” Lizzy grins to him.  She pulls on his open belt buckle until his hips press into hers.  He leans over her, his palms on the desk’s surface with one on each side of her, until their eyes are level and doesn’t move.  “What is it?” she asks him, knowing he keeps getting caught up in his own mind.  He pauses, bracing himself for the words he wants to let out.

“I just… I get it.”  He starts to voice the words that have been on repeat in his head all day.

“Get what?” she asks while reaching up and placing her hand on his cheek.

“Why you’re…” he swallows hard, trying to get the words out.  Why was this so much easier to say to a figment of his imagination?  Oh right, Lizzy is a real person.

 “Why I’m what?” she grins up to him. 

“Meant to be in my life.”  It’s different than what he had intended to say originally, but she deserves more than recycled revelations meant for another woman.  Even so, he’s never said such a thing to any actual woman before.  And he’s never said anything with more truth behind it.  She’s supposed to be in his life, he’s sure of it.  Everything about her, good and bad, is beautiful to him.  Her care-taking nature, her deep brown eyes, her slightly goofy side, her anger problem, her drive to help, her generosity, her terrible singing voice, her unbelievable body, her never-ending strength, her over-the-top reactions, her everything.  His heart beats faster with the confession.  He knows how deep in it he is now. 

She reaches into his hair and runs a gentile hand through it.  She knows the courage it takes him to say something so profound to her.  She appreciates it fully and intends to show him her thanks.  Their eyes intensely locked, she smiles.

“And I’m so happy to be here, Hot Shot,” she tells him.

* * *

 


	5. Van Hagar Didn't Count

* * *

“No fucking way!” Lizzy debates as she and Dean make their way down the motel hallway.  “Van Halen is the best thing to ever come out of the eighties hairband movement.  End of discussion!”

She’s walking backwards to face him while telling him just how wrong he is.  Her blazer is draped over her forearm and her hair is still down and quite unruly.  Dean has his own jacket gripped in his hand, shirt untucked, and tie hanging loose around his neck.  He’s also carrying the box of evidence from the police station.  

“No way!"

"Yes way!"

"Such bullshit.  No way is a band that held the nickname Van Hagar the greatest hairband ever,” Dean rebuts with certainty.

“Dude, those years totally don’t count,” she argues as she punches him lightly on the shoulder.  “The Van Hagar period is a shameful, dark time in rock history.  The only years that count are the Diamond Dave years, and those were amazing.”

Lou and Sam can hear the familiar voices drifting down the hallway from inside the room where they are currently tacking up a timeline to the wall.  Sam shakes his head and rolls his eyes when they both recognize what it is that they are talking about.  The two inside the room have been hard at work piecing everything together and it sounds to them like the two outside the room haven’t been so productive.  Sam isn’t surprised and brushes it off, but Lou grows more and more irritated every second.

“What!?  You can’t ignore a whole decade of a band’s life!” Dean fights as Lizzy slides the keycard into the door to unlock it.  “Plus there were plenty of bands that were better.  Motley Crue, Ratt, Scorpions, Def Leppard…”

“All valid arguments I will admit, but still not better than Van Halen!”  Lizzy’s voice elevates as she grows frustrated with Dean’s lack of respect for one of her favorite bands.  She opens the motel door but remains focused on the quarrel at hand.  “You seriously have to consider…”

“Hey!” Lou shouts to get Lizzy and Dean’s attention.  The pair just walking in the door snap their attention to Lou and freeze where they are.  They’re in trouble just like Lizzy had thought.  “Where’ve you guys been?”

Lizzy takes in the agitated expression and crossed arms of her best friend and sighs.  She’s getting the feeling Lou thinks she isn’t totally focused on the hunt at hand.  Crap.

“Hey to you, too.  We went to talk to the missing guy’s wife, like I said on the phone.  She mentioned a recently hired new employee at his work and we then went to check out his office,” Lizzy explains.   Lou observes the current condition Lizzy and Dean are in and disarray doesn’t come close to describing what she views.  Spying the skipped button on Dean’s shirt is the last straw.  Lou gives Lizzy an angry look once she’s put it together.

“Found out some interesting stuff too,” Dean adds, hoping to help Lizzy fight off some of Lou’s obvious ire.

“Great,” Lou responds with sarcasm.  “So have we.  We’ve just been waiting for you two to get here to share with you.  What took so long?” she repeats her question.  It’s a setup, Lizzy knows it.  She takes a beat to formulate a proper excuse.  Telling Lou about her and Dean’s activities that caused them to be so late wouldn’t go over very well.

“Oh, we weren’t gone _that_ long,” Lizzy tries to explain away, not having any good explanation to give.

“I’m going to take a wild shot in the dark here,” Lou begins her accusations.  “We’ve been hard at work, noses in the books, checking security systems, interviewing people and literally figuring this whole thing out and you two have talked to a couple people and then what, fucked in the car?”

The room goes completely silent.  Lizzy stands up rigidly and very still at Lou’s charge.  She shoots her accusing friend a look of sheer hostility.  Her anger is bubbling inside and, even though Dean can’t see it, he can tell from her body language as he stands behind her that things just took an ugly turn.  He quietly and slowly closes the door to the room in hopes of sparing any other motel patrons from what’s about to go down.  Then he catches the reaction to Lizzy on Sam’s face and he grows even more worried. 

Sam has seen that look from Lizzy before, and soon after he’d seen it he was prying her off of some poor girl in a bar.  This is bad, very bad. 

“First, I am going to let you know I am doing everything I can to not knock your fucking teeth out, Louise,” Lizzy grits out.  Dean places the box in his hands on the floor and takes a step closer to her, ready to intervene if needed.  “Second, don’t _ever_ make any assumptions like that when it comes to how hard I work.  We have been out all day.  You weren’t the only one doing anything, ok?”  Lizzy waits for Lou’s response, never once tearing her eyes away from the blond woman on the other side of the room.  Lou stands her ground, though.  Lizzy’s scare tactics, though effective on most people, don’t work on her.

“Look,” Lou begins in a steady yet still hostile tone.  “I’m sorry, but I don’t trust you around him.”  Lou looks in Dean’s direction.  “Your decision making gets a little reckless and honestly, you both just look like… well, you look like you’ve been going at it.  What messes!  Couldn’t you have at least extended the courtesy of trying to hide it?”

Sam gives them both a once over and has to agree.  They are a wreck.  He does have to admit that he’s a little let down by Dean.  People are still disappearing and they took a time out for some selfish fun.  Not something Sam thinks he’d ever do personally, but still, it is Dean.  He’s had it rough as of late and at least it’s a sign that he’s feeling better.

“Wow, judging me on _my_ actions, huh?  Should we rundown your past few months’ worth of hook-up history here?”  Lizzy is ready to fight and Dean wants more than anything to not be in the middle of these two when they clash but everything is getting out of hand very quickly.  He gives Sam a look, hoping to elicit some help with what he is about to do.  Sam nods his support.

“Go for it!” Lou shouts.  “There may have been a few more guys than I’d like to admit in there but at least I never let anyone die because I couldn’t keep my fucking pants on!”

“Girls!” Dean interrupts while walking in between the two of them, extending a palm towards both.  “Relax a minute.  Let’s talk about this without yelling.”

“Shut up, Dean!” they shout to him in unison.  That went well, Dean thinks as he feels the hatred radiate off of the women he’s stuck between.  Sam, with a sudden need to spare Dean from the women’s fire, rushes over to him and pushes them both out the door and into the hall.

“And I thought it was bad when we fought,” Dean remarks once they hear the door click shut.  They both hear the girls continue their yelling from inside the room. 

“I’m just glad to be out here right now, man,” Sam exhales as he puts his hands on his hips and sighs in disbelief.  He never could have imagined that the two women who were practically sisters would have blowout fights like this.

“Right?” Dean consents and drops to the floor.  He sits with his back propped against the hallway wall and Sam follows his lead on the opposite side so they’re facing each other.  They sit quietly while angry, muffled voices fill the hall.

“You missed a button,” Sam casually lets Dean know.  Dean looks down, rolls his eyes at his own carelessness, and starts fixing it.

“Lizzy knew Lou’d be pissed so we hauled ass to get back here,” he says while looking down at his shirt.  “We were rushing, guess I missed this one,” Dean explains uncomfortably.  He’s a little embarrassed over the situation, but only a little.  It was still worth it.

“I kinda agree with Lou here, Dean,” Sam informs.  “But I’m not nearly as mad as she is.  Actually, I’m not mad at all.”

“You’re not?” Dean says with surprise.  “Because I’ll be honest.  Angry woman number one makes a solid point.”  Dean knew it was wrong to do what they did when people were vanishing around them.  His will just wasn’t strong enough to stop himself.  He hadn’t seen Lizzy in months and he’d been celibate for most of those months.  Considering how he usually conducts himself, not an easy task.

“She does, you’re right,” Sam says.  “I just don’t let that stuff get to me anymore I guess.  And it’s when you don’t act like, well you, that I worry about you.  You’ve been a pretty quiet version of yourself for a while now and I was getting concerned but now I feel like I don’t have to worry.”  Sam gives a small smile to Dean. 

“Well Sammy, worry not,” Dean smirks.  “I’m doing alright.  Better than alright, actually.”

“Yeah, angry woman number two does seem to have that effect on you.”

“She definitely does,” Dean grins.  He’s been grinning like an idiot ever since they left Davis Laminates.  He can’t help it.  Cloud nine is a great place to be and Dean’s pretty sure he’s never been here before.

“So how long do we wait this out?” Sam questions.

Dean scrunches his face with uncertainty.  “Until it gets quiet again, I guess.”

“You sure it won’t just get quiet when one of them kills the other?”  Sam laughs. 

“Sammy, I’m just hoping one of them gets out alive.”

* * *

“What does my hooking up have to do with this, anyways?” Lou questions angrily.  “I’ve never stopped a case to get off, Lizzy.  That’s so fucking thoughtless.”

“You are being so ridiculous right now, you know that?”  Lizzy says loudly. 

" _I'm_ being ridiculous!?"

“Yes!"

"Fuck you!"

" _What_!?  What the fuck is your problem here, Lou?  What is it really?”

Lou’s fists are clenched by her side.  Her own anger, which she normal keeps at bay with little effort unlike her friend, has reached a peak.  “You!  You’re my problem here,” Lou shouts back.  “This isn’t like you!  You don’t ditch cases like that ever!"

"I didn't ditch the case!"

"What if someone had gone missing while you were letting Dean lay some pipe!?"

"Don't you fucking dare...." she starts to call her sister out for her crude ways.

"How would you feel, Lizard!?”

“Like shit!” Lizzy yells back before pausing.  She knows it’s true.  She would feel absolutely awful if her greedy actions cost the life of another innocent person.  Lizzy knew that Lou was right when the argument started, but Lizzy has never been someone who handled having her mistakes spelled out to her well.  “I’d feel like absolute shit."

"See?" Lou says with a calmer tone once Lizzy has seen the err of her ways.

"I know I shouldn’t have done it.  I know that, Lou.  I’m not an idiot.”  Her voice has quieted down also.

“I know you’re not.  That’s why I’m mad.”  Lou’s own voice has also calmed, following her friend’s lead.

If Lizzy wanted Lou to like Dean, this was probably a bad start.  She hopes she didn’t blow it.

“I’m sorry,” Lizzy says in a stubborn tone, apologies not her forte.  “I was wrong.  But I couldn’t help it.  Lou, you know how I feel about him.”

“I do, I know,” Lou consents.

“And did you see him in that suit?” Lizzy questions with her right eyebrow arched, knowing Lou had.  If she could get Lou back on her side, hot-boy-talk was the way to do it.

Lou smiles a little at the question.  She thinks it is a valid argument for Lizzy’s case.

“Yeah, I did.  What an ass on that man.” She smirks out. 

“No shit.  I was a goner the second I saw him in that fucking blue suit.”

“Yeah, you’ve always had a thing for suits,” Lou consents.  “He looked good, I’ll give you that.  You know, I wish I had gotten a chance to meet John.  I mean, look that those two!  You know I love me a good DILF and that guy musta been a fucking hottie to make them.”

“I know, right?” Lizzy agrees.  “Seriously, how was I supposed to keep my hands off of that?  And it has been months… two to be exact.”  Lizzy was on a dry spell and, even if it was self-imposed, it was a long time.

“Yeah, that is a long ass time,” Lou agrees.  “I know for a fact I wouldn’t last that long.”

“Nope.  You never would,” Lizzy laughs.  “Can you give me a pass this once?  It won’t’ happen again, my guilt will make sure of that.  And if it does you can totally kick my ass.  Promise.”  Lizzy extends her right pinky in Lou direction in a peace offering.

They both hear the door open slightly and the women catch Sam popping his head into the room to check on them.

“Just making sure no one’s dead,” he explains with a smile he hopes to diffuse the situation with.  What a Dean move.  Maybe his brother is wearing off on him more than he’s ever noticed before.

“We’re fine, Sam,” Lou tells him.  “Fight’s over.  You guys can come back in.”

The two men slowly make their way into the room, trying to keep in the background as the girls wrap things up. 

“It’s alright, Lizard.  I’m not mad anymore.  Just, please don’t pull any shit like that again, ok?”  She links her own right pinky in Lizzy’s and makes the promise to beat her best friend up if she’s ever out of line during a hunt again.

Lizzy has on that bright, wide smile again as she places her hands on either side of Lou’s face, and plants a kiss on her lips.  “I will never be that irresponsible again, I promise.” 

The two girls wrap up in a tight embrace.

“That’s how you end a fight?” Dean disbelieves while observing the women.  “Holy shit, you were about to kill each other and now you’re literally kissing and making up?"

"Can't hold grudges when you're family," Lizzy wisely says without backing away from her friend.

"Oh, we gotta get you two fighting more often.”  He laughs and looks at his brother.  Sam quietly laughs but when Dean looks back to Lizzy and Lou, they are still in their hug but both have an arm extended toward him and a middle finger lifted.

“Well alright,” Dean says after clearing his throat.  “Back to business, then?”

* * *

“So that’s the full rundown,” Sam says while sitting back in his chair.  He and Lou just finished giving a longwinded summary of everything they were able to figure out that day.  It was a lot to go through and Dean and Lizzy are overwhelmed yet quite impressed.

 “Damn, you two are good when you put your heads together, you know that?” Lizzy admires.  Lou winks at Sam and he smiles back.  They were pretty good as a research team.

“Yeah, you guys did an awesome job,” Dean concurs from his spot on the edge of the bed nearest the table.  He is looking through the files from the evidence box, desperate for one of the profiles to give him something he can use.  Lou is seated next to him doing the same and Lizzy is standing facing the wall, studying the timeline and maps on it.

“Every time this happens, every fifteen years, the amount of missing men doubles,” Lizzy says softly to no one in particular.  She keeps her eyes trained on the wall as she wills the information to give her the answers she’s so badly looking for.  “Supposed to be thirty-two this time.  That’s so fucking many.  Thirty-two.”

“Now the question is why.  Why are they killing these guys?  What is their motivation.  Why every fifteen years.”  Lou has been struggling with the lingering missing information and nothing has made sense yet. 

“Hard to tell,” Sam says.  “Could be some kind of ritual.”

“Every fifteen years there are more Nixie.  There are more creatures to kill men,” Lizzy continues rambling to herself.  “They then need more men every time.  Some kinda cycle…”

“But what ritual is based on fifteen year gaps?” Dean questions.  “There aren’t any events that happen every fifteen years that I know of.”

“Me neither,” Lou comments without looking up.  “Not in nature at least.”

“Holy fuck,” Lizzy whispers to herself.  “Breeding.”

“What’s happening over there, Lizard?” Lou questions when she hears her friend quietly talking to herself.

 “Breeding!” Lizzy shouts before spinning around quickly to face the room.  Her eyes open wide and eyebrow nearly reaching her hairline, she repeats, “Breeding!  They’re fucking breeding!”

“What?” Dean asks with serious confusion.

“They need men!”  Lizzy’s mind races with the idea as she tries to make sense.  “Sam, you said they’re all females, right?”

“Yeah, that’s what most of the lore said,” Sam responds.

“Well, it takes two to make a baby, right?  You have to have a male and a female, don’t you?”  Lizzy’s eyes are wild with the revelation.

“Holy shit, Lizzy!  It’s totally a cycle!  They go through their cycle every fifteen years,” Lou says, joining in on her friend’s train of thought.  Sam nods his head as he begins to understand what the girls are talking about.

“Wait, cycle?  What does that mean?” Dean breaks in, still confused.

“Periods, dude,” Sam answers with a smirk.  Dean scrunches his face in dislike. 

“Well, all women do have cycles.  What if, instead of every month a Nixie’s cycle is every fifteen years?  That’s why men disappear every fifteen years!” Lizzy just short of shouts at Lou.  “Peter’s wife told us that she can’t have any more kids and that Peter never got the boy he wanted.  What if Ariel used that to get to him?  Promised him little Peter Junior?”

“Could be,” Lou nods.  It makes solid sense to her.  “Would explain why he’s the only married man on the list.”

“From what you’ve told us, a Nixie can only attract available, unattached men.” Lizzy adds in.  “But if Peter was having issues with his wife and was given the opportunity for a son…”

“He might have gone for it,” Lou finishes.  The whole thing was finally beginning to fall into place.  “And if a Nixie can only have one offspring at a time, then that would explain the doubling numbers.”

“Yeah it would!  It’s their freakin’ mating season!” Lizzy shouts with a smile.

“Whoa.”  Dean says as he looks overt to Sam.  They are both in awe of Lou and Lizzy’s ability to work off of each other so well.  They make a solid hunting pair, much like the brothers do.  “Ok, so ah, now what do we do?  We know the city is crawling with Nixie, we know how to spot them, but how do we stop them?”

“Well, that might be a little tough,” Sam begins as he stands up from his seat with the excitement coursing through the room.  “There is no information in the legends about how strong they are or what they are immune or more susceptible to.  The only thing I can tell you for sure is that they need water.”

“Hence the water bottles in Ariel’s desk,” Lizzy interrupts to say to Dean as she points at him.

“Hence,” he sarcastically replies, making fun of Lizzy’s use of vocabulary.  She makes a half serious angry face at him before returning to Sam.

“They can be out of water for some time before needing to return.  I’m thinking they would dry out if they don’t.  Problem is every account is different.  Some can be out of water for a few hours, some a few days, could even be a week.”

“So what, we have to keep them out of water and make mermaid jerky?” Dean questions.  “That sounds… gross.”

“Sure does,” Lou agrees.  “Although I am willing to bet you could off these things in an easier way.  They have to have more than one weakness.”

“What about salt?” Lizzy wonders.  “It can dry things out.  Maybe it’ll dry them out too?”

“It’s worth a try,” Sam tells her.  “Who knows really?  Might even be able to kill them in more traditional ways too.”

“That’s true.  Not too many things can get past a good old-fashioned head shot,” Dean adds.

“We also have to figure out where they are, where home base is for them,” Lou adds.  “Otherwise, we have twenty-five of these things still running around town and it’ll be impossible to track them all.  They could be anywhere.”

“Someone could go with one of these things, be bait.” Sam suggests to the room.  He looks at Dean, “We fit the profile, don’t we?  Could find one of the bars these things have been hanging out in and leave with one of them.”

“The rest of us could follow,” Lou adds.  “Three people as backup is as safe as you can get.”

“Wait a minute, these things are like sirens, aren’t they?” Dean questions.

“Yeah,” Lou responds.

“Then what’s to say they don’t make us go all googly-eyes for them?” Dean concerns.  He is not ready to become some entranced high schooler with a deathly crush and he definitely will not let that happen to Sam.  “This is a bad idea.”

“Well, maybe it won’t work on one of us,” Sam insinuates with an eyebrow lifted.  Lizzy looks down and avoids the rest of the room for a moment, knowing what Sam is suggesting.

“Of course it will.  Damn it, I’m going on record as saying this is a stupid plan.  Alright Sam, rock-paper-scissor for it.” Dean says, holding out his fist.  Sam looks at him with slight confusion as he realizes Dean isn’t quite grasping what he’s trying to tell him.

“Uh, no man.  I think you should go.”

“What?” Dean loudly objects.  “Why me?”

“Well, a Nixie can only put their spell on available men, right?”

“Right,” Dean agrees.

“Ok,” Sam says, hoping he wouldn’t have to spell things out for his dense brother.  No such luck.  Dean’s still staring at Sam, shrugging his shoulders and waiting for his little brother to finish his thought.  “Dude, you’re safe.”  Sam nudges his head to the side and Dean looks over.  He sees Lizzy giving him a sheepish smile.

Dean’s face softens once he realizes what his brother is saying.  He’s grown attached to her.  What a weird thought.  He always just assumed he’d forever be picking up randoms here and there.  This is certainly not something he’s considered and it was never something he and Lizzy had talked about nor had intentions for.  It all happened really quickly but Sam makes a good point.  He hadn’t acted like a single guy in a while and constantly throughout every day he finds himself thinking about her.  Lizzy just kind of crept up on him when he wasn’t looking. 

“Son of a bitch,” he says returning her smile before facing Sam again.  “Then let’s do this.  Where’ve these water-bitches been hanging out?”

* * *

 


	6. Opels and Mustangs and Impalas... Oh My!

* * *

"Go get 'em, tiger!" Lizzy says with a playful slap to Dean's ass. She jogs past him and heads to her Toyota with Sam. She opens the driver's side door and before getting in looks back to Dean and mouths, "Be careful." He nods his promise in return.

Lou opens the passenger side door of the Impala. "Ready?" she asks Dean over the roof.

"As I'll ever be," he replies, getting in. Dean pops his favorite Metallica mix tape into the stereo before he pulls out onto the road and heads towards town. They decided to go to the bar Lizzy and Lou had already been to, hoping some Nixie would be there once more. Lizzy and Sam would stay in Lizzy's car, stake out the joint and follow Dean once he managed to hopefully leave with one. Lou was to go into the bar, separate from Dean, to keep an eye on the situation and be immediate back up. Lou volunteered and wanted to be on bar duty instead of Lizzy since she didn't want her friend have to watch the show Dean was about to put on. Seemed like the good friend thing to do.

"So," Dean begins after a few silent minutes, trying to start a conversation with Lou. He's gotten the distinct feeling that he isn't her favorite person in the world and she's done nothing to make him think any differently.

"So," Lou echoes, not sure of what to say either. She told Lizzy that she'd get to know him and now would be a good time, she thinks. "The car's looking good." It's lame, she knows it. But he loves this damn thing and she thinks she can get through to him with the Impala as a subject.

"Oh, my baby always looks good. I wouldn't have it any other way," he smiles out.

"You do all the work yourself...."

"Better believe it. I'm not letting just any grease monkey with a garage go near her."

"So I know it's done right," Lou finishes her interrupted thought.  "I respect the love you have for her."

He's taken aback.  "She's my girl, you know?  And my dad taught me everything I needed to know to take care of her and then made me vow to keep her up when he handed her down. Haven't gone back on my word yet." The memory was a good one. Being given the Impala was a huge moment for Dean. His father showed how much he loved and completely trusted him with the gesture and he's never let him down. He never would, either.

"He knew a lot about cars, huh?" Lou asks.

"Everything. He was a mechanic before becoming a hunter."

"My dad was a wannabe mechanic.  Restored cars in his spare time." Lou peers across the front seat to catch the reaction she hopes he'll have. When his eyes light up while still focused out the windshield, she isn't disappointed.  "He once had a 72 Opel GT in our garage and he didn't leave for a fucking week.  Rebuilt parts of it from scrap parts he collects from damn near everywhere."

"You're fucking kidding me?"  This new information makes Dean excited. He never gets to talk cars with anyone. Sam never had any real interest and he doesn't see Bobby all that often so he has to take advantage of this.

"Not at all.  I used to help him when he let me... usually when I wasn't going to guitar lessons and my homework was done."

"So your dad taught you some stuff too?" Dean's eyes light up.

"Oh yeah.  Engine work was my favorite even if it was the toughest. You really get down and dirty in the guts of a car that way. Really get to know her personality."

"I agree completely!" Dean says louder than he'd meant to. He can't hide his enthusiasm anymore.

"I never did enough engine work if you ask me but I did rebuild a '65 Ford Mustang engine with my dad once," she smiles out with her own memory much like Dean had just moments before.

"You're shitting me?" Dean is in disbelief. He truly underestimated this chick. She's alright.

"Not at all. It was my favorite project we ever did together."

"You have a brother, don't you?" Dean asks, remembering Bobby mentioning something along those lines.

"Yep."

"He must have been jealous, you doing something that cool with your dad and he being left out. I know I'd be."

"Nah. My little brother didn't really care too much about cars. He's a really smart guy. He's a chemical engineer now."

"Guess he _is_  smart."

"Oh very. He always preferred books and video games to cars."

"Sounds oddly familiar," Dean narrows his eyes at Lou. She giggles with the similarity they share. "How'd the work come out on the Mustang?"

"Beautifully. It was technically a '65, but really it was from the 1964 ½ series. 170 cubic inch six cylinder with a 260 cubic inch V8. Thing of fucking beauty.  Did it for my dad's good friend as a favor, but really it ended up being something that brought us a lot closer. We bonded over the job. The guy told me at my parent's funeral that he's leaving the car to me one day."

"Hell of a guy," Dean comments.

"He definitely is. And I'm not saying I want the guy dead, but that car means a lot to me and I'm more than excited to one day take her on the road myself."

"I can't blame you there. '64 Mustang is cherry."

"Yes it is. So is this beauty," Lou says as she runs a hand over the dash. "Um, so I never told you this because I thought you'd be pissed, but when we were at Bobby's, Sam let me take a look under the hood." She sends him a devilish smile at her admission and giggles.

"No kidding?" Dean answers back with a quiet laugh.

"Yep. He kept saying no and that I'd have to ask you, but I thought you'd say no. So I begged the poor dude for so long."

"And of course Sam caved," Dean says with a wink. If anyone can get what they want out of Sam, Lou was the one. He has no idea why, but she could.

"Oh yeah. It's because I wouldn't leave him alone, though. I was crazy annoying but this baby is too awesome for me to stay away."

"That she is."

"Good looking men and good looking cars; the two things that I can never keep my hands off of!" Lou laughs heartily.

"Gotta say Lou, I respect your style," Dean says while finding himself truly enjoying his time with her.

* * *

"I really hope she's playing nice in there," Lizzy worries out loud while following behind the Impala. "Lou's a tough one sometimes. Once she's formed an opinion, it's pretty impossible to change."

"I think I know someone like that," Sam jokes, referring to Dean.

"Hey, common ground! That's a good start," Lizzy says back. "So how are you Sam?"

"Doing alright, I guess," Sam starts. "We've been really busy, which is good. Or bad I guess."

"I think it all depends on what you're busy with," Lizzy jests. "How's the search going, by the way?"

Sam wrinkles his brow while looking over at her. "What search?" he asks.

"The search for the demon," she plainly states. When he doesn't respond she tries again. "The one that killed your parents." It's then that she gets the feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach when she realizes Dean never let Sam know that he'd told her about everything. Should have kept her mouth shut.

"Dean talked to you about all that?" Sam questions in a low, serious tone. He stares straight ahead out the windshield and Lizzy sees his jaw clench with anger.

"Yeah. He did," she cautious continues. She's afraid to keep talking and prays she isn't getting Dean in trouble with his brother right now. Why didn't Dean tell her not to mention this in front of Sam? "It was only briefly though," she adds, trying to lessen the problem.

"What did he tell you?" Sam's inflection is stern and he's still avoiding her eyes.

"Just the basics. Your mother died when you were a baby and it was a demon that did it. He also said that you both think it was the same demon that killed your father and that you were on the hunt for it."

"What else?" Sam wonders. He really hopes she knows no more than that. Dean wouldn't have told her about his abilities, or the other children with abilities, would he? He couldn't have.

"Uh, there was a fire in your house the night your mom died." Lizzy begins searching her memories of the conversation two months before.

"And?"

"And nothing. That's all, Sam. He was pretty tight-lipped about it. I mean we'd just met so I only got the CliffsNotes version."

He's relieved to say the least. Getting the two girls caught up in all that was not something he wanted. He also didn't want to be looked at like a freak or a charity case. Sam starts to relax.

"You know that if you ever need help or could use us in any way to catch that thing, we're there in a heartbeat," Lizzy informs him.

"Thanks," Sam says, knowing he'd never take up the offer.

"I mean it. We want to help, you just say the word. Lou and I both lost our parents in almost the same exact way."

"That's right," Sam recalls. He remembers what Bobby had told Dean and him about the girls' past. It really is similar.

"Yes, so when I say we want to help, I mean it!" Lizzy had shared the boys' past with Lou after parting ways with them and both agreed that if Winchesters ever needed help getting their well-deserved revenge, they'd be there without question. They sympathized completely.

"Thank you, Lizzy. I really appreciate that, Dean does too."

"You're welcome," Lizzy responds. "Now, I know what your brother listens to, but what kinda music does Sam Winchester like?"

"You know, I can't remember the last time someone asked me that," Sam says to her with a grin. It felt good to have his opinion matter when it came to music being played in the car.

"Be my guest, Sam-I-Am," she invites while tossing her IPod to him. "I listen to a lot more than classic rock, even if it is my personal favorite, so there has to be something in there for you."

* * *

Dean walks into the bar and scans the crowd. It's exactly the kind of place he'd picture Lizzy and Lou going to; very dive-ish with loud music, a juke box, lots of whiskey, and plenty guys. That's usually all those two require for a good night out. After a moment, he spies Lou in the back corner at a small high top table with a beer in hand. They make eye contact and he nods to her. She nods back and then aims her attention to the end of the bar farthest from him. Taking this as a helpful hint, Dean makes his way down the bar. As he does, he recognizes the huddle of women that Lou must have seen. Every one of them is very tall, very pretty, and dressed to attract the attention of men with low cut shirts and short skirts. Stepping up to the bar next to the group to get a drink, it doesn't take long for him to get noticed. As he waits for the bartender to make his way, one of herd breaks off and sidles up next to him.

"Hi there," she says to him. Dean turns to face her and understands why the men in this town are just a bunch of sitting ducks. Her long dark hair frames her natural, beautiful face. She's slim with legs for days and perfect curves. She reminds him of a really tall version of Lizzy, honestly. The woman is wearing denim shorts, black knee-high boots, and a red V-neck t-shirt. It's a bit cold for such an outfit, Dean thinks, but he certainly isn't complaining about the excellent view.

"Well hello," Dean returns, flashing that patented Winchester smile that usually gets him anything he wants.

"I'm Riva," she says, extending a hand toward him.

"Dean," he introduces himself, taking her hand in his and it feels odd to him. This is the first time Dean finds himself uncomfortable flirting with a woman. He and Lizzy had talked before they left. She's more than ok with him trying to seduce another woman because she knows it for a good cause. On top of that, they haven't yet discussed what it is they have anyways. Still, it feels wrong.

"You here all by your lonesome?" She bats her eyes at him.

"Yes I am."

"A handsome man like you alone? What a shame," she laments while complimenting him. Riva places her hand on his shoulder, the contact making Dean slightly anxious while knowing what she really is.

"Well, it's been a long day at work so I'm just grabbing a drink before heading home." Only partially a lie.

"Well then, let me help you out. Mikey!" she shouts while leaning way over the bar ensuring that she gets his attention. The bartender is there in a matter of seconds.

"What can I get you, Riva?" he asks with a love-sick smile. Yup, sitting ducks for sure. Riva turns to look at Dean, narrowing her eyes as though she's studying him before answering.

"Whiskey neat. Make it a double. I'll have the same."

It's like she read his mind. Dean becomes a bit paranoid at the thought. If she actually can read his mind how long before she figures him out completely? How long before she knows what he's up to and that he isn't under her spell?

"Exactly what I wanted. Thank you," he says while trying to sound cool and collected.

"Not a problem, darling," she says to him. "So what do you do, Dean?"

"I'm a mechanic," he replies. Again, not a  _total_  lie.

"Oh, I like a man who's good with his hands," she replies while running her red painted fingernails down his forearm and to his hand, entwining hers within his. She runs her thumb across his palm and continues smiling at him. She's giving it her best, he'll give her that much.

The bartender places the two drinks in front of them.

"Thank you, honey," Riva says to him with a wink.

"Any time," the bartender says with the same goofy grin from before and walks away. Riva lifts her glass towards Dean.

"Here's to new friends and getting to know them really, really well," she cheers with a lifted eyebrow.

Dean lifts his own glass to hers. "Can't argue with that," he grins out before taking a large sip and making eye contact with Lou from across the room, making sure she's still there.

* * *

"Never pegged you to be a fan of The Shins," Sam says to Lizzy as he puts 'Weird Divide' on her IPod. They are parked half a block down the street within clear sight of the Impala and bar front door. They've only been waiting around for half an hour and they are enjoying each other's company while listening to some non-classic rock music for a little while.

"I told you I liked everything," Lizzy responds. "Love those guys. They are great for research. Calmer, quieter, the perfect background sound."

"I agree," Sam says. "Also, they're awesome on rainy days. If we aren't too busy and have a morning off, sometimes I'll just lie in bed and listen to them while watching the rain through the window. So relaxing." Sam pauses and closes his eyes tight. "Never tell Dean I said that."

"Oh, I won't! You're totally safe." Lizzy promises with a laugh. Dean would never let the lameness of Sam's comment go if he'd heard it. "And you're absolutely right. I used their first album when I was still in college for study sessions, or at least I used it the few times I actually studied, ha."

"Wait, weren't you studying to become a doctor?" Sam asks skeptically.

"Yeah, I was. Weird, huh?" She knows how strange it sounds. She's completely unsuited for the profession she used to be working towards.

"Very weird. How did you ever pass if you never studied?" Knowing how much work he'd put in while still striving for his law degree, he can only imagine the workload that was put on her had been huge.

"I didn't," she laughs. "I only took up the major because my parents really wanted me to go that route. It never was for me and if I'm not interested, then fuck it. I did terrible in school for that reason."

"Yeah, I really can't imagine you in a white coat running around a hospital," Sam laughs as he pictures it in his mind. It did seem like a good fit.

"Nope, no thank you," Lizzy says shaking her head.

"What would you have done then? If you got to choose?" Sam asks her out of curiosity.

"Honestly, if I had my way I would have kept dancing. I danced since I was just a kid and really it's the one true love of my life… aside from Lou of course. I figured I would have kept going with it; maybe eventually teach dance to kids or something like that."

"You dance?" Sam inquires with slight surprise.

"Yes. Well, I used to at least," Lizzy tells him with a faraway look. "There is nothing better than going to a class and just letting go of all the stress and shit that piles up inside. I always feel a million times better after dancing. It's fucking therapeutic! But I pretty much gave that up along with most other things a while back. You know how that goes."

"I do," Sam agrees, knowing she's referring to sacrificing dancing for hunting.

"I try to take classes here and there still. Lou and I both think it's really important to keep up with the few things that we loved in our former lives. I dance when I can, she has her music. Keeps us normal, you know?" She sounds a little sad as she tells him this.

"Not really," Sam admits. "I can't really say I am too familiar with normal."

"Eh, the concept is completely subjective anyways." Lizzy smiles at him and Sam huffs a quiet laugh in return.

"And I never had a hobby or anything," he adds. "Never really had the chance to."

"That's sad, Sam," Lizzy tells him in a downtrodden tone. "But you left hunting for four years, didn't you?"

"Yeah. I went to college. I wanted to be a lawyer."

"You know, I always knew you were the brains of the operation," Lizzy nudges his shoulder and smiles. "Ok, so in those four years, what did you do for fun?"

"I didn't really," Sam explains. "I studied a lot and spent a lot of time in the library."

Lizzy starts snoring at what he says. He suddenly feels like he's talking to Dean.

"Ha-ha, funny," Sam retorts and Lizzy sticks her tongue out at him. "I hung out with my girlfriend a lot. We lived together so my fun was to sit on the couch and watch TV with her. Sounds lame but it's what made me happy."

"That's not lame at all Sam," Lizzy tells him. "Actually, it sounds awesome." What she wouldn't give for a quiet night in  _her_  place with someone she loves. Sounds like heaven to her.

"It was," Sam agrees with a sad smile. Lizzy quickly changes the subject in an attempt to help Sam avoid such difficult memories.

"So now that you're back on the road, how the hell do you stay sane without some kind of distraction?"

"No idea," Sam jokes, but really he doesn't know. His whole life is hunting and being around Dean. It's pretty monotonous at times and now and then he feels like he's screaming inside his own head with it all. A way to relax and escape would be nice.

"Well, fuck that. You need to find something or else you'll blow one day out of the stress of it all. Having our separate things is the only way Lou and I manage to still love each other and not kill each other instead. And living with  _Dean_ … you probably would benefit from a hobby or something!"

"When you're right, you're right," Sam heartily agrees.

"Oh, I'm right!" she giggles.

"You know, I have to admit Lizzy, you dancing makes way more sense than you being a doctor." He's been able to observe her twice now and he's noticed that she is always moving around and on her feet whenever possible. Bobby did once say that she easily took to hand to hand combat stuff and creative things seem to suit her better than anything else. And very rarely was there music on that Lizzy wasn't dancing to.

"I know, right? Hey, have you ever heard Arcade Fire?" Lizzy questions while changing the topic yet again. Sometimes talking about the one thing she loved more than anything hurt too much. She missed dancing more than any other aspect of her former life.

"No," Sam replies, suddenly feeling slightly woozy. He squints and shakes his head to try and clear his mind.

"You have to! They are excellent!" Lizzy grabs her IPod off the dock and starts searching out the band.

It's then that it hits Sam like a ton of bricks. The all too familiar pain shoots through his head and he winces with the severity of this one. It's worse than any of the others he's had before.

"I really think you'll like them," Lizzy continues, focusing completely on her IPod and totally unaware of what is happening next to her. "If you already like The Shins, then this…"

"Ah!" Sam yells out when the usual pain turns agonizing and he clutches the sides of his head. Lizzy's startled and turns her attention to him. She panics at the sight of Sam doubled over, fingers knotted in his long hair, in obvious torture.

"Sam!" she worries loudly. "Sam, what's happening?" She reaches over to him and grips his shoulder. He's shaking under her hand with the burning ache in his brain.

The vision finally comes. He sees dreary, cloudy sky up above him, as if he's lying on his back on the ground outside. This time he can not only see, but he can feel. He can feel the hard surface that's under his laid out body.

"Sam, please talk to me here!" Lizzy shouts. "I don't know what's going on!" She brushes his hair away from his face and sees it twisted with distress.

He senses the damp weather, the saturated ground, and he can feel the moisture as it seeps into his clothing, making him shiver with the chill.

Lou jumps into the backseat of Lizzy's car. "Hey! They're getting in the car. We have to go."

"Ahh," Sam shouts out again as the pain grows deeper, giving him one last stab inside his skull, before finally beginning to subside.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Lou asks in full blown alarm at the state Sam is in.

"I don't know! He just started having some kinda headache or something!" Lizzy tells Lou with her hand pressed against his forehead, holding him as if she's trying to keep him in one piece. She's still panicking.

"I'm ok," Sam finally lets them know as the pain dissipates fully and he opens his eyes. "It's ok," he reassures, gaining his sight back.

"What the fuck was that!" Lizzy shouts to him as she grabs both sides of his face, turns him to her, and frantically searches his expression. She isn't sure what she's looking for but she needs to try something.

"Nothing, I'm fine. Just a headache," Sam tried to explain away as he gently removes Lizzy's hands from his face. The attention she gives him is completely unwanted.

"Bullshit!" Lou calls him out. "That was a lot more than a headache, Sam!"

"I'm fine!" he yells, making them both jump at his tone. Sam has never spoken so harshly in front of them before and they're caught completely off guard.

"You're fine? What is that, the Winchester motto?" Lou angrily remarks.

"Lou, if you're here that means Dean is leaving and we need to follow him. Lizzy, drive." Sam is trying to take control of the situation. They cannot lose sight of Dean and that is the most important thing happening right now.

"Alright, but you're not getting off the hook that easily," Lou says as Lizzy starts the car. "I want to know what the hell that was."

"Same here," adds Lizzy.

He takes a deep breathe slowly in through his nose to try and sooth away his anger. Why did that have to happen now? The two girls dote on him and Dean over the smallest of things so he knows there is no way they will let this one go. They will want answers from him that he doesn't want to give. He sighs at the pending issues he's sure this will cause.

Lizzy pulls her attention off of Sam for a moment, just in time to see Dean opening the passenger side door for the tall, dark haired woman he is with and she starts the car. Dean looks down the street toward their spot on the side of the road as he walks around to the driver's side. Lizzy turns on the lights to reassure him that they are right behind him. He pops a thumbs-up their way before disappearing into the Impala.

* * *

 


	7. A Siren's Song for Sammy

* * *

"Cassette tapes, huh?" Riva comments while searching through the collection in an old shoe box. "How retro of you."

"Yeah, I like to keep it old school," Dean replies with fake confidence. He checks the rearview mirror and makes sure the silver Toyota is still behind him. Seeing it a good couple cars-lengths back, he tries to relax and make some small talk. "So, where we headed?"

"A little place by the Missouri. It has a great view of the river. Oooh, Foreigner!" she exclaims while pushing the tape into the car stereo. 'Hot Blooded' begins and Riva starts dancing in her seat. "I love this song! Turn left up ahead at the light."

"Ok," Dean says while putting his turn signal on early enough to ensure this backup follows.

"Well I'm hot blooded, check it and see. I got a fever of a hundred and three." Riva croons. She has a hell of a voice and Dean is impressed as he listens to her. Even so, he'd take Lizzy's shitty, way off-key singing any day, he thinks to himself. God she really is a bad singer. Just completely tone deaf. It is awesome how she doesn't care at all though. No shame, just belts out every song she hears. Gotta respect that because he'd never….

His train of thought comes to a grinding halt when he feels Riva's hand land on his thigh. She slides over against him and comes just inches from his ear.

"You don't have to read my mind," she sings in her most sultry voice. "To know what I have in mind."

Her hand dances over his jeans higher and higher as she whispers to him, "Turn right here."

He does what she says, trying his best to not let on how uncomfortable and conflicted he is. Riva's lips land on the side of his neck and he does everything he can to keep his cool. Can't let her know how much her allure is not working on him… because it actually isn't. It's then that he realizes how stiffly he's sitting and wills his body to loosen up.

"What's wrong baby?" Riva brings her roaming hand to his chin and turns his face to her. "You seem tense or something." She gives him her best seductive look and leans forward enough for Dean to get a clear shot down her shirt. God damn, she is good he thinks. If he wasn't already feeling so much guilt, he'd be as good as fish food by now.

Dean flashes his smile once more and assures her. "I'm alright. I just can't believe how lucky I am right now." Ok, this one was a total lie.

"Aren't you adorable," she says brushing her lips against his. "Pull over here."

Dean pulls over to the side of the dark, secluded road.

"Where are we?" Dean asks as his eyes search around the area and he turns the key in the ignition. It's heavily wooded and dark with no street lights. He sees a large building off a couple hundred feet away. It's old and abandoned looking and it sits on the bank of a large river. Jackpot.

"We're here, sweetheart," she tells him while kissing his lips lightly and then getting out of the Impala. "You coming?" she asks behind her as she pushes the door shut and begins walking toward the building, hips swaying as she does.

"Sure am," Dean responds, reaching under his seat. He grabs his trustee Colt .45 from its hiding place before getting out of the Impala. He tucks the gun away in the back of his pants, pulls his shirt down to hide it, and follows her.

* * *

"Turn off your lights," Sam tells Lizzy as she slowly and as quietly as possible rolls the car down the secluded road that runs through the recreational area.

"They should be around here somewhere, right?" Lou asks scanning the darkness for the Impala that they'd fallen slightly behind in an attempt to stay hidden.

"Should be. We weren't that far from them," Lizzy tells them. "Wait, I see it," she says while pointing out the windshield to Dean's prize possession. She puts her car in neutral and coasts up behind the Chevy before throwing it into park. They all spot the broken down structure to their right. "Jesus, this is where they've been taking guys?"

"Totally welcoming. Not horror movie-ish at all," Lou sarcastically comments.

"No kidding," Sam concurs while checking the ammunition in his gun before putting it into the waist of his pants. "You guys ready?"

"I am," Lou responds while proudly lifting her sawed-off shotgun. Sam remembers the gun the second he sees it. It's the same one Bobby had leant them a few months before; splintered wooden handle, worn barrel, and all. Lou had taken a shining to it the second it was in her hands and with it, she is deadly. "Let's do this."

"Right there with you," Lizzy seconds, checking her own Glock 17. She secures it behind her back and opens the glove compartment. She grabs a large Ka-Bar style hunting knife made of silver and its sheath and pushes it down into her knee high utility boot on the right side. She then pulls out two smaller folding knives and tosses one to Lou and holds the other towards Sam to offer it up.

"Thanks, but I'm covered," he says, lifting his foot and pulling out his own silver knife from his boot just enough to show her he's well-armed.

"Nice," she smirks with such an attitude that, in a way, is very reminiscent of Dean. "What about the salt?" Lizzy questions. They four were hoping their favorite all-purpose weapon would come in handy once more.

"Right here," Lou responds, handing each of them a small leather satchel that's tied closed. Dean has one of his own already and Lou has several shells filled with rock salt.

"Looks like we're ready," Sam announces.

"Ok team," Lizzy remarks with glee, "Let's go fuck Little Mermaid's day up!"

* * *

The inside of the building is in no better shape than the outside. There are no rooms, just one open space inside. It was most likely a utility building for the park at one point. Now, it's clearly been left to rot and it's filled with old crates, empty shelves, and broken machinery. The place is dusty and very dark, only being lit by the moonlight through the mostly broken window panes. Dean is confused as to what kind of man would be comfortable following a stranger, even a hot one, to this place and then not run the second he got there. Maybe the power these things have over men outranks even the creepiest and uneasy of situations.

Riva walks through to the back of the building, pausing in the large, open doorway in the middle of the farthest wall and turning around. She smiles something seductive yet slightly evil at Dean before curling her index finger toward her, asking him to follow. She disappears from sight leaving Dean alone with his nerves inside. He pulls his Colt out thinking it's best to arm himself before heading into the unknown. Clutching the gun, he points it ahead of him and guardedly begins walking toward the back door. As he gets closer, he sees that the building is right on the bank of the river and it has a dock attached to it. The water rushes by, making it hard to hear anything other than the rapids.

Dean steps through the threshold and looks right and left quickly. He doesn't see anything, or anyone. It's quiet aside from the rapids. Looking down the dock he sees the shadow of who he assumes is Riva. She's sitting at the end of the wooden walk, feet dangling down over the edge and her back to him. Her voice begins floating through air. Dean doesn't recognize any song in particular as the wind carries it in his direction, but it's a stunning sound to hear.

Suddenly there is a shuffling from inside the structure and Dean hopes that it's his backup and not more Nixie. Gun still firmly aimed, he backtracks through the doorway and frantically scours the open area inside for what made the sound. Seeing and hearing nothing, he grows nervous.

"Hey," he hears the whispering voice coming from behind him. Dean turns quickly aiming his gun at whatever called to him.

"Fuck, L!" Dean harshly whispers out when he sees her with her back against the wall on the right side of the doorway. "I almost shot you!"

"Yeah, I know!" she whispers back. "Could you maybe drop the gun now? Please?"

Dean hadn't realized that he was still aiming right at her. He drops his arms and sees Lou on the other side of the opening mirroring Lizzy's position. He grabs them both by the upper arm and pulls them to one side of the doorway and out of view.

"What's going on?" Lou asks.

"Not sure. She's at the end of the dock. Pretty sure she wants me to go down there with her." Dean points out through a window and they see the Nixie sitting with her back to them.

"Is she singing?" Sam questions as he come out from the shadows in one of the corners.

"Yeah." Dean answers.

"Good voice," Sam comments as he looks out to catch a glimpse of Riva.

"Yeah, she's a regular fucking Celine Dion," Dean remarks harshly. "What do we do now?"

"Good question." Lizzy isn't sure what the next best move is here. She looks to Dean to try and see what he's thinking and spies the smudge on his neck. She reaches up and rubs her thumb across the spot to wipe it clean.

"What are you doing?" he asks once she's reached up to him.

"You had lipstick on you," she responds, lifting her eyebrows and pursing her lips. Dean just looks away with the guilt he feels.

"So maybe you should go down there," Lou says to Dean, pulling them back into the situation at hand. "See what happens?"

"What? No way!" Lizzy refuses. "You don't know what she'll do to him."

"You can swim, can't you?" Lou asks Dean half-jokingly.

"Not well enough for her, I don't think," Dean says before turning to consult Sam. "Sam? Where's Sam?"

The three look around and find themselves alone in the building.

"Sam!" Dean shout/whispers hoping to get a response from his brother. He gets nothing.

"Shit!" Lizzy says after looking through the window. Pulling out her Glock she heads out the door with both hands wrapped around her weapon. Lou and Dean follow her. Standing at the beginning of the wooden walk, they watch as Sam makes his way down the dock and straight towards Riva.

"Sam!" Dean shouts to his brother. Screw being undercover. He isn't letting this happen. Dean bolts down the dock and plants himself directly in front of Sam, standing between Riva and his brother. The Nixie is now on her feet and facing them at the far edge while still singing. He grabs Sam's shoulders and shakes violently. "Sam! Freakin' talk to me, man!"

Sam continues staring straight ahead over Dean's height. He doesn't hear his brother's voice, just Riva's singing. It's calling to him and he has to get to her. She needs him and it's what propels him forward. He keeps moving, pushing Dean with him as he goes. Dean has his hands flat against Sam's chest using all of his strength and weight to go against Sam's forward movement. "Damn it, Sam! Stop walking!" Sam doesn't do as Dean demands and soon they are just a few feet from Riva. Dean grips Sam's chin in his hand and pulls his face so that it angled down towards him. "Sam! Jesus, stop!"

Sam finally does come to a dead stop at Dean's last shout to him and brings his eyes to his brother. He peers right into Dean's concerned eyes and smiles. The smile is wrong, off and it chills Dean to the bone as he's never seen his brother look this way. Sam looks evil and vacant at the very same time. It's as if Sam is no longer home.

"What the hell, Sammy?" Dean questions before he feels the sharp pain on the back of his head briefly before everything goes black.

* * *

A green light starts glowing from within Riva from her still, lifeless position lying on the dock. Sam remains standing over her but he's not reacting to the display in front of him. Instead he just bores a blank stare at her as he's still under her spell. Lizzy and Lou watch while the light glows brighter and brighter. Soon it looks as if it is shining right through her skin. At the same time, two also green glowing shapes appear under the river's surface surrounding the dock one on each side. The water above them begins to bubble and the green light from both the water and Riva explodes up into the sky at the same time before dissipating quickly into the brisk night air. As soon as it begins the strange event is over, as if nothing ever happened.

"Holy shit," Lou exhales slowly while still looking up into the sky.

"What the fuck was that!" Lizzy loudly asks. She looks with confusion to her best friend as they stand stock still in complete shock over the scene. Neither say a word. Speechlessness over comes the two as they try and process what it is they just witnessed.

As soon as the light disappears, Sam comes to and quickly looks around as the world snaps back into focus. When did he walk out onto the dock? He shakes his head trying to clear it enough to get a grasp of the situation surrounding him.

Sam turns to face the building he last remembers being in and see the two girls staring at him. Lou has Lizzy's handgun still raised in his general direction. "Sam, you alright?" Lou shouts urgently over to him as she finally lowers the weapon.

"Yeah, I think so," he responds while running his hands through his hair before noticing the two motionless figures at his feel. Dean!

"Dean! Hey!" Sam drops down immediately, checking his unconscious brother over. "Hey, hey, hey say something! Dean!" His brother doesn't respond to his voice, just remains a lifeless heap in his hands. Spying the lump on Dean's head accompanied by a decent sized gash, Sam has a moment of anxiety. However, once he checks Dean over, he sees that his brother is breathing normally and has a steady pulse. He's only knocked out. Sam calms a bit, but not totally. The Winchesters are no strangers to the occasional solid blow to the head. It's all in a day's work for them, really.

"He ok?" Lizzy calls to Sam as both girls swiftly run down the dock towards them.

"Yeah, he'll be ok I think." Sam tells her before recognizing Riva next to Dean. She's still bleeding from the bullet wound in the side of her head.

"We should probably get Riva inside," Lou suggests, breaking the silence. "If any other Nixie comes out here, this will definitely ruin our cover."

"Uh, what the hell happened?" Sam asks from his spot sitting on the dock with Dean's head in his lap.

"She's dead. C'mon. Help us out, Sam. I call feet," Lizzy says as she grabs Riva's ankles. Lou rolls her eyes and picks up Riva by the shoulders, but being as tall as Riva was, the girls struggle to transport the awkward weight.

"Sam, leave him for a minute. Need your help," Lou says to him. Sam doesn't move. He hates leaving Dean when he's hurt. It doesn't feel right, it never has.

"Dude," Lou grows impatient. "He isn't going anywhere and this chick is heavy as hell. Come on."

Sam reluctantly stands to help the girls. He rushes the dead creature down the dock, hoping to get whatever needs to be done over with and return to Dean as soon as possible. Sam may not remember what happened between the time he was in the large utility shed and finding Dean lying on the dock, but he's pretty sure it has to do with Dean trying to help his little brother. This only makes leaving him helpless and alone that much harder.

* * *

The pounding in his head is what wakes him up. The entire back of his skull is throbbing along with his heartbeat. Coming to slowly, Dean hears the rushing water underneath him first. He slowly pries his eyes open and blinks rapidly to get his blurred and scrambled vision going. He's lying on his side on the wooden dock and he's alone. Sam! He came out here to help Sam! Where is he? Shit, what happened to him? The panic rushes through his body as he shoots up to a sitting position. Dean's immediately hit with an overpowering ache and strong dizzy sensation that halts his movement dead in its tracks and makes him bring his hand to the growing lump.

"Dean!" Lizzy yells as she runs to him. "Slow down!"

Feeling the dampness on his hand, he takes a look at his palm and sees the deep red color splashed across it.

"Where's Sammy?" he questions Lizzy as he tries to stand up. He needs to find Sam.

"He's ok, Dean. Sit down!" she shouts to him. Once she reaches his spot on the dock, she drops to her knees next to him and pushes him back down by the shoulders until he is seated again. "You got hit pretty fucking hard. Don't try and stand up so fast, you'll pass right back out and what good are you to me like that?" She smiles at him, hoping to give some reassurance and get him to calm down.

"What the hell just happened?"

"First things first, what's your name?" She needs to check the severity of his injury. Her brief medical background comes in handy way too often in this line of work.

"Awesome," he answers grinning. She shakes her head no. "Dean Winchester," he corrects.

"What's my name?"

"Sexy," he jokes once more.

"Very cute. Where are we?"

"By a river… Missouri River. In Nebraska."

"What month is this?"

"Freeze my ass off December."

"Good. You're still here," Lizzy lets out a breath. "So, when you tried to get in between Sam and Riva, she knocked you out cold with a wooden plank." Lizzy turns Dean's head so she can take a good look at his injury. "Hey, good news! No stitches needed this time. You're dizzy so you probably have a concussion though," she says while taking out a small flashlight from her back pocket. She shines the light in his eyes and she watches as his pupils don't constrict. "Make that definitely."

"Great," he sarcastically mutters. "Where's Sam?"

"Inside. Lou shot Riva the second she smacked you with that board. Got her in the head. Once she was officially down and out Sam snapped right out of his little lovesick trance." Dean's eyes are still frantically moving around the area, looking for his brother she assumes. Lizzy sighs quietly and cups her hands around Dean's face to guarantee his attention. She waits until his focus stops roaming and is completely on her. "We're all good. Sam's right inside that building, unharmed. Now stop for a second and worry about yourself. You ok in there?" she asks while narrowing her eyes.

"I'm fine," Dean says with what he thinks is a reassuring smile.

"God damn. That really is the Winchester motto." Lizzy shakes her head. Lou was absolutely right. These two really are impossible to get through to. They seem to think 'I'm fine' makes everything better but Lizzy is beginning to seriously hate the phrase. "You dizzy still?"

"Nah. I've adjusted."

"Ok then," she stands and offers her hand to him. "Let's take it slow this time, huh Hot Shot?"

* * *

 


	8. A Fish and Her Date Walk into a Building...

* * *

Dean and Lizzy walk through the back entrance of the old architecture, Lizzy tucked under Dean's arm as she walks with him, ready to lend a hand if he gets woozy once more. Lou is leaning over the lifeless Riva splayed out on the dirt floor and Sam is standing over them both, tapping his foot with anticipation. He let Lizzy check on Dean, against his better judgment, and even though she has the background to be more than capable of taking care of him, Sam still worries. He needs to see with his own eyes that Dean is ok. He turns quickly to face the entering people when he hears them coming into the large room.

"Dean!" Sam all but shouts and begins walking quickly toward his brother.

"I'm ok, Sammy. Relax," Dean instructs the still distressed man, holding out his hand to stop him. "Nurse Lizzy took great care of me. Don't worry," he says this while looking down at her by his side.

"Excuse me," she feigns insult. "That's Doctor Noonan to you, buddy." She grins up to him before pulling him towards a large crate in the center of the room. "Sit down while I run out to the car. Doctor's orders."

"Yes ma'am," he semi-seriously returns with a salute as he drops down on the creaking wood while Lizzy sprints out the front door. His head is beginning to pound and, though he'd never tell anyone, he is feeling a little nauseous. Taking a deep breath through his nose and slowly out his mouth, he tries to stave off the brief bout of sickness. "Anyone going to fill me in on what the hell happened here?"

"I shot the bitch," Lou states matter-of-factly and she riffles through Riva's pockets. "You don't mess with my boys, simple as that." She sends Dean a smirk before getting back to her pickpocketing.

"Damn glad I'm on your good side then," Dean jokes.

"So you think," Lou retorts without looking up, keeping Dean still slightly intimidated by her.

"Once Riva was dead I came to like nothing ever happened," Sam fills in. "She went down and that's when it got weird, or so I'm told. I don't really remember anything."

"Yeah, she started glowing bright green," Lou says to Dean while taking a seat next to the dead Nixie.

"That sounds… normal," Dean asserts.

"Oh yeah, totally normal. Then the green light, like, lifted out of her, floated up in the air, and then disappeared. Even as I say it, I know it sounds completely ridiculous," Lou explains truthfully.

"Guess you had to be there," Dean smirks to Sam knowing they missed out on quite the supernatural show.

"That's not all," she continues. "Two green orbs started glowing underwater in the river. They came up and rose out of the water before dispersing at the same time as Riva's. I don't know what's going on here, but it's nothing I've come close to seeing before."

"Doesn't sound like anything familiar to us either," Sam tells her.

Lizzy comes running back in with a small white plastic container. She puts it down on the crate next to Dean, opens it up and pulls out an ice pack. After breaking the inner bag and shaking it, she hands it to him.

"Thanks," he says. "You have any…"

"Here," she cuts in, handing him three Ibuprofen while grinning. She knew this is what he was about to ask for. He nods with pleasant surprise before popping the pills in his mouth and swallowing without water.

"She has nothing helpful on her," Lou announces after finishing her search. "Just a matchbook from the bar we went to."

"Super," Lizzy comments while opening an alcohol pad and pressing it onto the open cut on the back of Dean's head to disinfect it.

"Ah! How 'bout warning me next time?" Dean complains as the sting hits him.

"Baby," Lizzy name calls. "So this is where these bitches have been bringing guys, huh?"

"Looks like it," Dean answers while wincing. "I doubt Riva was the first one to use this spot."

"Probably won't be the last then. We should stick around," Sam suggests. "Wait for them to come to us. It'll be way easier than searching them out all over town."

"What do you mean we?" Lou asks him. "You're clearly not safe around these things, you just proved that. You're not staying here."

"She's right, Sammy," Dean tells him. "She used her mojo and the Sam we all know went bye-bye. You definitely can't hang around here."

"So what am I supposed to do?" Sam questions the group with annoyance. "Just leave and do what? Sit on my ass?"

"No. Use that massive brain of yours!" Lizzy answers while affixing some gauze with medical tape to Dean's head. "We have no idea what we're up against still. And what the fuck was up with that green light? We need answers, Sam." She speaks the truth. If any person in their little group is going to solve this, it's obviously Sam.

"Definitely," Lou concurs. "You and Dean can head back to the motel. He could use the rest and you can get going with the research."

"Not happening," Dean informs Lou. "We aren't going to leave you two alone here. It's not safe." Both Lizzy and Lou freeze at the comment then simultaneously turn to stare him down for a moment. Insulted is putting it lightly.

"Excuse me?" Lou starts, "But who just saved both of your asses a couple minutes ago, huh? We're more than capable of handling this one. Alone!"

"Yes we are," Lizzy adds sternly, attempting to drive the point home.

Dean knows they make a good point and they do seem to be more than able. It just didn't sit well with him. He and Sam exchange glances and he knows Sam is on his side with this one. It's too bad it feels as though they definitely are not going to get their way. Lizzy's hand grips onto his own and he turns his attention to her again.

"We'll be perfectly fine," she assures. "And if anything goes wrong you're a phone call and a short drive away. It's more important that you go take care of yourself, take a nap and deal with that injury."

"Get out of here, you two," Lou says as she grabs Sam's wrist and places the motel key card in his hand. He glances over to Dean and sighs heavily. They don't want to, but they know when to admit defeat.

"Clearly we've lost this one, Sammy," Dean says to his brother while standing up and fishing his keys out of his pocket.

"No kidding. Let's get out of here," Sam concurs.

* * *

It's quiet in the Impala and Sam is sitting uncomfortably behind the wheel while trying to build up the courage to speak. He hasn't had the opportunity to talk to Dean privately until now and he needs to clue him in on what happened in the car with Lizzy and Lou. Whenever he has to tell Dean something he doesn't want to hear Sam reverts right back to ten year old Sammy, doing his best to keep his hero from being upset with him.

"Dean," Sam cautiously begins. "Uh, something happened earlier." He stops and waits to gage Dean's reaction before continuing. He allows himself a brief glance to the passenger seat and is confronted with green eyes that are glaring at him.

"Oh, that sounds good," Dean sarcastically remarks and waits for Sam to move ahead with what he has to tell him. He's getting the very distinct feeling that it isn't going to be good. Sam turns his attention back to the road.

"I had another vision," Sam confesses while staring straight ahead.

"What? When?" Dean asks rapidly, clearly unnerved by what he's told.

"While you were in the bar earlier," Sam tells him. "When I was with Lizzy waiting in the car."

"Lizzy knows?" Dean's brow is knotted in concern and alarm.

"Lou too. She got into the car at the end of it," Sam explains quietly, feeling like that helpless child who is in trouble with his father… or brother, in his experience.

"Great," Dean says. "Just freakin' awesome, Sam." Dean sighs loudly with sheer frustration. Neither speak for a moment as he lets the news sink in. Those girls don't need to be caught up in their whole ordeal. They've been too good to his brother and him. Dean refuses to put the women in any more danger than they already are by simply knowing them.

"Did you tell them anything?" Dean asks in a panic.

"No! God no," Sam responds quickly. "Said it was just a headache."

"Good. We can't let them know about this, especially when we don't even know what this really is," Dean says.

"I agree."

"Then how do we explain this one away?" Dean wonders in a loud, agitated voice, hoping Sam has an answer for him.

"I don't know. They didn't believe me for a second that it was a headache and they're not going to leave this alone, you know that."

"Well then, we'll just have to get creative. Make something up," Dean answers back.

"They aren't stupid, Dean. They were concerned and really scared. This was a big one. I really don't know what we can say that they'll accept."

"Big? Like how big?" Dean inquires with sheer worry. "What did you see?"

Sam sighs again. "I saw the sky, like I was laying on the ground outside somewhere," Sam explains. "This one was real… like freaky real. I could feel things."

"What do you mean feel things?" Dean narrows his eyes at Sam.

"I mean it was rainy out and I could feel the water on the ground and the cold air, like I was really there."

"And where is there?"

"I don't know, honestly. The sky wasn't very helpful in giving me any clues." Sam takes another glance out the corner of his eye to see how Dean was taking everything. He's facing away from Sam out the passenger window. "Say something, Dean," Sam bids to his brother, being unable to handle not knowing what he is thinking.

"It just keeps on getting better, doesn't it?" Dean laments caustically through his fixed gaze. There is only so much Dean thinks he can take, and this whole psychic crap is pushing it. He can't stop it from happening and he can't help Sam if he doesn't know what they're up against. If this thing is going to keep getting worse then he needs to find some answers but he doesn't even know where to begin. Helplessness is something Dean doesn't manage very well and right now it's the only thing he feels.

* * *

After having a very difficult time hauling Riva's body out behind the old utility building, Lou and Lizzy settled in for their stakeout. They are seated on some wooden crates in the middle of the room where they have a clear view of every entrance. Lou has her shotgun in her lap and Lizzy is fiddling with her hunting knife, both ready to strike if needed.

"Something's been bugging me," Lou wonders aloud, breaking the comfortable silence they had going.

"Sam's freak-headache thing?" Lizzy asks as she tosses the knife and catches it by the handle.

"Yup." The incident had been nagging at both girls since it happened.

"Been bugging the hell outta me, too. The whole thing scared me shitless, honestly," Lizzy tells her friend. She really was terrified when it happened. Creatures, monsters, ghosts she can handle. They are tangible and she can kill them. This she couldn't kill or help with, even with a medical background. She'd felt so worthless watching Sam in such agony.

"What do you think it was?" Lou asks. She only caught the tail end of the episode, but it was enough to let her know how bad it was. Plus, Lizzy's face was paler than pale. She was petrified, and it takes a lot for Lizzy to be even a little spooked.

"No idea. I don't think it's the first time that's happened though," Lizzy theorizes while tossing up the knife again. "The way he brushed it off and tried to play the whole thing as nothing… he's totally been through that before."

"Oh, definitely," Lou acknowledges. "He's hiding something. Something bad." Lou pauses before speaking out loud the one daunting option she'd come up with. "You think he's sick?"

"Sick?" Lizzy asks with apprehension. She forcefully stabs the knife into the crate. It stands tall out of the wood and Lizzy turns her attention fully to the conversation.

"Yeah, like a brain tumor or something," Lou adds.

Lizzy scrunches her face at the suggestion. "I don't know, Louie. I doubt it. He's looking healthy enough."

"Yeah, he does look good," Lou says with a wink.

"Why yes he does," Lizzy smiles back and giggles, knowing how badly her friend had been lusting after the man since they'd arrived. "On top of that, he's still in the game."

"That's true. And if Sam was sick you know Dean wouldn't let him hunt at all… or ever leave his side for that matter."

"Oh he'd be way overbearing. What's that about, anyways? Sam's an adult but I swear Dean only sees his kid brother Sammy when he looks at him." Lizzy had noticed how insanely watchful he is over Sam. She understands it somewhat, but always thinks of it as bordering obsessive.

"Well, it makes sense with how they were brought up and all," Lou says very offhandedly. Lizzy gives Lou a quizzical look, unsure of exactly what Lou meant. "Dean did tell you about their lives when they were younger, right?"

"Kind of… well not really. I know their mother died when Dean was four and Sam was a baby. I know that John raised them while hunting on the road. That's about it. He isn't usually much of a talker when it comes to personal stuff, you know."

"Oh, I know," Lou laughs, having noticed how tight-lipped Dean always is when it comes to emotional things. "Sam filled me in a bit. Basically, once John became hell-bent on revenge for their mother's death, Dean became Sam's father figure. John was never around."

"What do you mean never around?" Lizzy asks wide-eyed.

"I mean he was always on a hunt. He'd leave them with Bobby a lot, and a pastor friend of John's would take them now and then. But once Dean was older he'd leave them on their own pretty often, sometimes for days at a time in a motel somewhere to keep up the search."

"How old was Dean when he'd leave them?" Lizzy asks with astonishment as she yanks her knife out of the crate and continues flipping it around to occupy herself through the heavy conversation. She's having a hard time grasping the idea that anyone would leave their children by themselves like that. How could John be so irresponsible?

"I think starting when Dean was tenish and Sam was around seven or eight. He'd leave them with a small wad of cash, some loaded guns, and a promise that he'd be back soon. But he wasn't always. Sam said they'd run out of food a few times. Dean would go a couple days without a single meal just to make sure Sam was fed."

Lizzy sits with the information, letting it sink in. "Holy shit, Louie. He never told me any of this. How could John do that to them?" Lizzy wonders out loud with anger.

"John was determined to get retaliation for Mary. She was the absolute love of his life and he never got over it." Lou shrugs her shoulders. "The heart feels what it feels, no matter what logic tells you." She sends a knowing look to her friend. Lizzy should understand the concept considering her current situation with Dean.

"But aren't you supposed to be madly in love with your children too? I mean, my father would have done anything, given his life several times over even, to keep me safe and healthy. How could John abandon his two boys and risk their welfare like that?"

"I don't know, honestly," is all Lou can offer as she doesn't understand it either. "All I know is Dean didn't deserve the burden that was always put on him and Sam doesn't deserve the guilt the whole ordeal left him with. The two of them are pretty messed up deep down for all of it. John constantly told Dean it was his responsibility to look after Sam. He always put Sam's well-being fully on Dean's shoulders. No kid should have to deal with all that."

"So Sam told you just a little bit about their lives, huh?" Lizzy looks accusingly at Lou.

"Ok, so Sam's a bit of a light weight and he talks a lot after downing several tequila shots. Shouldn't have gotten him so damn wasted that night," Lou smiles to Lizzy. She's referring to the night the four of them went out in Sioux Falls when they'd all first met. "Not only did I strike out with him, but I got to listen to his ramblings for an hour before he finally just passed out mid-sentence."

"You eventually got what you were after though," Lizzy reminds her.

"Very true. And very well worth the wait," Lou laughs. "God damn, that man is fucking hot. I love a good friend with benefits."

"I have to admit, not a bad situation you made for yourself, Louie. Better get back on that when this is over," Lizzy tell her friend. "You know, it's crazy to me that Sam has such a heavyweight for a brother and he can't handle more than a handful of shots."

"No shit," Lou agrees. "Dean drinks like a fucking champ. You'd think with the life they've had, so would Sam." She pauses to think for a moment. "So would I, truthfully."

"My life has been charmed in comparison to those two," Lizzy says, "And I still drink like it's going out of style. Getting fucked up is a God send in this profession."

"Guess I'll just chalk that up to another thing you and Dean have in common," Lou giggles.

Lizzy lets out a small laugh then sits silently while she tries to work through all the new information that has been shoveled at her. What a terrible weight Dean carried with him throughout his life. She understands his motivations and selflessness now. He grew up being told he was completely liable for everything that ever happened to his sibling. Sam was the important one who needed watching after. Dean was just a babysitter to his father, a sentinel at John's complete disposal. His crazy lack of self-worth makes total sense now. John never let him know that he was just as valuable a person as Sam. No wonder Dean's self-esteem is nonexistent. Something about the sad story pulls at her, making her have both sympathy and even more desire for Dean at the very same time.

"Fuck. Heads up, Lizard," Lou warns as she gets up from her spot on the old crate. She creeps up to the window and stays low and out of sight as Lizzy watches the bright beams from headlights wash across the inside walls of the building. Lizzy tightens her grip on the large silver knife and stealthfully makes her way to the entrance. She stands upright and presses her back into the wall on the side of the doorway.

"It's another one," Lou tells her from the window. "She's with a guy. They're headed this way." Lou hoists her shotgun at the ready.

Returning her knife to her boot and pulling out her gun instead, Lizzy waits while looking at Lou to gage how close the couple is. She hears their voices get closer and closer until they are just about to walk into the building.

"C'mon in baby," Lizzy hears the tall woman say as she crosses the threshold and the hunter springs into action. Lizzy quickly grabs the woman, pulling her down until she's at Lizzy's level facing away from her. Wrapping her arm around the woman's neck in a head lock, Lizzy points the gun to her head and the Nixie grabs onto Lizzy's arm, trying to pull free.

"Relax, you're not going anywhere," Lizzy warns before turning her attention to the man in the doorway with a shocked expression on his face. "Get back in your car and drive away," she directs sternly to him.

"No," he defiantly refuses. "Let her go." His fists are balled up and his stance is stiff. Lou stays hidden but ready to pounce. She doesn't like where this is going so far.

"Dude, get the hell out of here," Lizzy exhausts. "Trust me, you'll leave if you know what's good for you."

"I said let her go!" the man shouts while lunging towards the interlocked women. Lizzy doesn't have much time to react and finds herself on the receiving end of the man's fist. The blow to her cheek sends Lizzy backwards but she never relinquishes her hold on the Nixie. They both hit the ground with force, the larger woman dropping her full weight on Lizzy and knocking the wind out of her. While Lizzy does her best to regain her breath she watches Lou fly across the room in a split second and slam the butt of her gun into the back of the man's head. He slumps to the floor motionless.

"Who fucking slugs a girl like that?" Lou shouts to her friend on the floor before running to her aid. "Stand up!" she demands to the Nixie with the barrel of her gun aimed at her head.

"Wow, out cold," the woman remarks while getting up and looking at the unconscious man on the floor. "You just made my job way easier. Thanks," she smirks to Lou.

"Shut up and get against the wall," Lou directs with her shotgun pointed squarely at the Nixie's chest. She does what Lou asks. "You ok down there?" Lou shouts down to her friend and checks on her. Lizzy simply raises an upturned thumb to signal that she was alright while slowly inhaling and exhaling air.

"Good." Lou calms a bit as she looks at the new Nixie in front of her. "Fucking swell of you to drop by, sweetheart," she smiles.

* * *

After being stuck in the motel room for an hour Dean begins to feel the itch settle in as he paces the floor. He can't stand being stuck in one place while Lizzy and Lou were out on their own. Granted, they reassured him several times that they were more than capable of handling things, and they probably were, but the idea just never fully settled with him. He's irritable and antsy, and he's making Sam crazy.

"Can you sit, or something?" Sam asks of his brother from his place at the table. "You're kinda driving me nuts." Sam looks back down at the text he was reading and tries to continue his research.

"No I can't," Dean confesses. "You have your psychic crap going haywire, we left the girls to fend for themselves, and I'm supposed to just sit here and take it easy? None of this is working for me!" he shouts and continues his rapid pacing around the room.

"Whoa. You need to calm down, man."

"I can't. I hate this," Dean responds loudly.

"Then go back," Sam tells him frankly without looking up.

"I'm supposed to take it easy for a while, remember?" Dean reminds Sam. Lizzy was very clear to him that he needed to take care of himself and rest a little.

"And since when do you ever listen to what anyone tells you to do?" Sam laughs while finally looking up. "I mean, you don't usually even listen to me, so what's the difference now?"

What Sam says is true. Dean has never been one to listen to others. His rebellious streak is something he never grew out of.

"That's true," Dean agrees with a wrinkled brow. He isn't really sure what the difference is this time.

"So stop being so pussy-whipped and drive back over there," Sam digs. He is beginning to think Lizzy has a more profound effect on Dean than either of them previously realized. Normally he would have been out the door half an hour ago.

"Whoa, whoa," Dean holds out his hands to Sam, gesturing him to stop. "I am not pussy-whipped, dude. L just suggested I rest, that's all. And, for the record, I'm not taking her advice." Dean grabs his leather jacket and picks up the keys off the nightstand.

"Good, get out of here. You're distracting me from my work anyways."

"Keep looking, bookworm. Call me if you find anything." Dean walks out of the room.

"Sure. And Dean?" Sam calls out to his brother before he closes the door behind him. Dean pops his head back into the room.

"What?"

"If Lizzy asks you to hold her purse for her, just say no."

"Such a bitch, Sammy," Dean mutters angrily while shutting the door.

"And you're a jerk," Sam says under his breath with a grin before engrossing himself in lore once again.

* * *

 


	9. Stick a Fork in Him

* * *

"Who's car is that?" Dean asks as he walks through the front entrance of the dilapidated building by the river. Once inside he observes the scene before him. There is an unfamiliar woman tied to a pole in the corner and a man lying face down on the floor. "Holy shit."

"Welcome back," Lizzy says brightly from her crate, despite the look of her surroundings. She's sitting Indian-style and holding an ice pack to her cheek. "Uh, you definitely weren't gone long enough to rest, Dean. How's your head doing?" Even with her own injuries to deal with, she puts her concern for him first.

"Could ask you the same thing," he replies while taking long strides in her direction. "What the hell happened here?" Dean speaks quickly while he pulls the ice pack away from Lizzy's face and inspects the damage. He spies the small split on the smooth skin of her cheek, along with the already present swelling. His heartbeat picks up considerably with the sight. She's hurt and he wasn't there to protect her. This most definitely doesn't fly with Dean.

"Meet Brooke," Lizzy gestures to the blond Nixie before pointing to the man on the ground that Lou is checking over. "And her date."

"Lovely couple," Dean cracks as he eyes them one at a time before returning his complete attention back to Lizzy. He picks up the first aid kit from its spot on the floor next to the crate, right where Lizzy left it after fixing him up just a couple hours ago.

"Regular pains in the ass if you ask me," Lou says as she stands and takes a seat next to Lizzy. "We gotta get that poor guy outta here."

"I agree," Lizzy says. "If he comes to on the floor here he'll be crazy confused. It's better if he doesn't know."

"Lou, you want to bring him to the hospital? Dump him off in the emergency bay or something." Dean suggests while opening an alcohol swab and copying Lizzy's actions from just an hour ago. "Then you can go help Sam. I can stay here." He watches Lizzy's face twist when he begins cleaning the small open cut. "Sorry."

"Eh, don't apologize. You're just trying to help," she smiles. "Plus, I can handle it, unlike you." She gives Dean a quick shit-eating grin that he returns with a head shake and a smile.

"What about his car? If he gets dropped off at hospital without knowing anything, don't you think the cops will be on the lookout for it?" Lou asks. Dean pauses for a moment before he bends down to the blacked out man and searches his pockets, pulling out his car keys.

"I'll drive it down the street and park it behind some bushes or something," Dean explains. "Then I'll help you get him into Lizzy's car. You can take him after that."

"Works for me," Lou shrugs.

"Sit tight," Dean calls to Lizzy as he runs across the grass to the blacked-out man's car. Lizzy smiles as she watches him, feeling the warmth of his presence and concern for her fill her.

* * *

"So you let her get a solid shot in, huh?" Dean asks once get back from helping Lou. He takes a seat next to Lizzy and continues patching her up while he prods her to fill him in on what he missed.

"Kinda," she says as Dean presses a Band-Aid over her slightly swollen cheek.

"Thought you were better than that, bad ass!" Dean jabs. "At least that's what Bobby always brags. Says you can kick ass harder than most hunters he knows."

"That Bobby is a smart man for warning you about me," she grins. "Better not get out of line with me, Hot Shot."

"Watch it. You know I don't respond well to threats," he lightheartedly warms. "So what the hell happened here?"

"This one came through the door," Lizzy looks to Brooke who it seated on the floor, arms bound behind the poll she's tied to with duct tape over her mouth. "And I grabbed her. Took her down and got her in a headlock."

"This is sounding more like it."

"Then I told our mystery dude to get in his car and leave, but he didn't like that. Bitch's spell had him good. He came at me after I wouldn't let her go."

Dean's eyes grow wide. "You got punched by a dude? So not cool." Now he's mad. Really mad.

"Yeah, but it wasn't his fault," Lizzy explains, trying to stand up for the helpless victim. "I like to think he wouldn't have hit a girl if he wasn't under the influence." Dean's face remains angry. "This is exactly why I didn't tell you until we got him outta here. I feared for his safety."

"I'm just saying, hitting a woman is all kinds of wrong. I don't care the situation." Dean's pissed. He fully understands that it wasn't the guy's fault, not at all. Truthfully, it's himself he's pissed with. "I should've stayed here. Should've been here to help you out."

Lizzy looks at him with disbelief. "Are you kidding me? Calm your ass down, dude. It's not like I've never been jacked in the face before. I'm ok," Lizzy tells him while slightly insulted. She huffs out a short laugh. "Hell, half the times I've been hit like that, I've deserved it."

"How do you figure?" Dean questions.

"You know how I get sometimes," Lizzy says while smiling slightly. "I tend to punch first and worry about consequences later." She squints up at Dean. He should understand what she's explaining to him. It takes a hothead to know one, but at the same time she knows how upset her temper makes Dean.

"You talking about getting into fights? I thought you said you were going to stop doing that shit?" Dean asks through his tensed jaw. His tone reminds him of his father when he'd scold Sam and him, but he doesn't care. "You told me you would at least try. Actually, you promised me you would, if I remember correctly." After attempting to start a bar fight in front of him in Sioux Falls, he'd done everything he could to get her to stop being to reckless. He was desperate to get her to realize how destructive her actions can be and that someday she is going to get seriously hurt.

"Oh, you remember correctly. I know for a fact that you do! And I sure as hell do too. That's no memory I ever plan on losing. You know Dean, you have a funny way of making me promise things to you," she winks to him, referencing their first night together and how exactly it was that he made her vow that she'd slow her role. Kinky would be one way to describe his ways.

"Hey, my tactics are effective," he says, remembering how she became putty in his hands that night, literally. Most fun argument he's ever had. That was one time in his life he actually appreciated how action-oriented he is. Maybe being afraid to talk emotions out is overrated after all.

"I'll say! And I didn't go against my word, just to let you know," she tells him. "I slowed way down. No fights… well maybe one." Dean shoots her an angry look. She shrugs her shoulders, "It wasn't a real fight! Relax! Some dude got grabby, I told him to stop and when he didn't I took care of him."

"What do you mean took care of him?" Dean questions.

"You ever hit someone so hard that they black out before they even hit the ground?" She smiles at him while wagging her eyebrows but Dean doesn't look as amused. She playfully shoves him. "C'mon! You should be proud that I didn't let some asshole touch me and get away with it!"

"That was the only time? You swear?" Dean asks.

Lizzy raises her hand and promises. "Scout's honor, no fights. You can even ask Lou."

"Good," he relaxes and reaches over to her, gripping her hand in his and dropping it in his lap. He shares a tight lipped grin with her before he lets himself fully calm down. How wound up be became surprises him, but the idea of Lizzy being so irresponsible and putting herself voluntarily in harm's way doesn't jive with him. "And I am proud, you know," he admits. "It's good you put that guy in his place. I'm sure he deserved it."

"I knew you'd think so," she grins. "I only let one person grab my ass now-a-days."

Dean huffs out a quiet laugh.

"Just Lou, no one else," she adds. Dean laughs aloud at this one.

"I'll be sure to stay away then. One head injury a day is all I can handle," he responds.

"You better not stay away," she warns as she moves in closer and kisses him quickly. Dean smiles at her again.

It's then that they hear the creature in their captivity groan with disgust. They look over and watch her roll her eyes at them.

"The fuck," Lizzy mumbles while letting go of Dean's hand and getting up to walk over to Brooke. "I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. What was that?" Lizzy angrily mocks with a hand cupping her ear to the woman whose mouth is taped shut. Dean recognizes the shift in Lizzy's attitude immediately and gets up to stay near her. As if right on cue after their conversation, she's about to let her fury get the best of her. He better be only inches away to help control the madness once it starts.

Lizzy crouches down next to Brooke and stares at her for a moment before harshly ripping the tape over her mouth off.

"Ow!" Brooke yells to Lizzy.

"Aw, I'm sorry. Did that hurt?" she fakes sympathy. "Probably feels about as good as my face does right now. Thanks for that, by the way."

"Hey, I didn't punch you, sweetheart," Brooke spits out. Lizzy's eyes grow big when she hears the Nixie in front of her speak with such attitude. "And if you're gonna act like some flirting lovesick teenagers, you mind taking it outside? I don't feel like vomiting today."

"Let me give you a little advice," Lizzy says leaning in close to Brooke's ear and placing her hand on Brooke's shoulder, gripping much tighter than she should. "Drop the fucking attitude. I don't respond well to it."

Brooke narrows her eyes at Lizzy but doesn't answer back. Lizzy takes a seat next to the bound woman, pulling a bottle of water and her Glock out of her jacket. She places them down on the floor right by Brooke, next to each other. "So this can go one of two ways. Whichever way is completely up to you. Understand?"

Once again Brooke stays silent.

"Bitch, answer the question. I kinda need to know that you understand what I am saying."

"You're saying that you're threatening me," Brooke states.

"See, I knew she was a smart one," Lizzy grins with the sarcastic remark aimed to Dean before returning her attention back to Brooke. "So let's get down to brass tacks, shall we? What's going on here?"

"I have no idea what you mean," Brooke says, clearly unwilling to be truthful.

"Yeah, I wouldn't pull that shit right now Brooke," Dean speaks up. "She's already ticked off. Just don't get her angry."

"You wouldn't like me when I'm angry," Lizzy warns. Dean does all he can to stifle the laugh that threatens to come out. Only Lizzy would drop a ridiculous Incredible Hulk line during a time like this. Ok, so would he truthfully. He takes a seat on the floor on the other side of Brooke, effectively surrounding her by hunters.

"We know a lot already," Dean begins. "We know you all pop up every fifteen years. We're pretty sure you're using men for their, ah, let's say special ingredient."

Brooke lifts her eyebrows with surprise.

"Yeah, we figured out your game," Lizzy says with pride.

"You're smarter than you look then," Brooke quips.

Lizzy stares daggers at the blonde woman. "Oh, fuck this," she says while picking up her gun from the floor and cocking it. Dean reaches across Brooke's legs, grabs the barrel of the gun and points it away from Brooke. "Dean let go. This chick isn't going to tell us anything and I'm sick of her fucking mouth."

"Calm down, L," he tries to urge her before turning his attention back to Brooke. "And you better start telling us something worthwhile or I am not going to be holding her back anymore."

"Fine," Brooke says. "I don't know what I can tell you though. Sounds like you have the gist of things."

"Why are you killing all the men you get with?" Lizzy questions while dropping the Glock back onto the ground. "Why not just get what you need from them then let 'em go?"

"Can't let the secret of our existence out," Brooke explains. "It's people like you we've been trying to avoid all along."

"But when they're under your spell, or whatever, don't the guys not remember anything?" Dean questions, knowing that Sam had no recollection of what had happened while under Riva's spell. "Why not just let them go if they don't know what happened?"

"When we mate we have to do it in our regular form, not our human form. We're a lot less appealing to you humans once we transform back. It's then that our boys tend to snap out of it. We have to kill them, they leave us no choice. It's worked well enough for several years. No one has bothered us once until now."

"Devious," Lizzy comments.

Brooke shrugs. "We have to do what we have to do."

"So you bang these guys, then you kill them?" Dean questioned. "And I always thought I was cold when I never called back all those chicks afterwards, ha," he jokes before remembering whose company he's in. Lizzy doesn't laugh.

"Better watch what you say around this chick," Brooke tells him. "I know how you feel about her."

"Excuse me?" Dean asks, taken aback by her statement.

"Dude, stick a fucking fork in you. You're done for, I can sense it. It's what I do."

They both snap their focus onto each other before quickly returning to Brooke. "You can sense that kinda thing?" Lizzy asks with disbelief.

"Yep. We can sense when a man has become infatuated with a woman. It's how we know that they're good to go and under our spell," Brooke explains and turns her attention to Dean. "I can sense it from you right now, big boy. You absolutely reek with it. And I know you aren't feeling that way for me. I never even tried my moves on you."

"This is insane," Lizzy whispers in awe. At least it explains why Riva was duped by Dean's act.

"I think it's fantastic," Brooke returns. "You guys are fucking with me, and now I have a way to clearly fuck with you. It's obvious you two haven't copped to how you really feel yet or what I'm saying wouldn't be the big freakin' deal that it is."

"Bitch," Dean and Lizzy call her at the same time.

"Point proven," Brooke smiles out evilly.

"Shut up," Lizzy says while placing a new strip of tape over her mouth. She wasn't in the mood to deal with everything Brooke brings up.

* * *

Sam's been staring at the same computer screen for a few hours now with no avail. Trying to figure out what it is that the two girls saw out on that dock has proven nearly impossible. Considering most men who encounter the Nixie don't live to tell about it, the lore is incomplete and frustrating. He sits back against the headboard and closes the laptop in his lap. He drops his head against the wood behind him and closes his eyes with exhaustion. He hadn't slept well the night before as sharing a bed isn't something he used to and Lou never stopped moving in her sleep the whole night. Dean always said that he himself did the same even when they were kids and now he sympathizes with Dean. They really did need to get a room of their own.

He looks over at the digital clock on the nightstand and reads the time. 12:46 AM. How did it get so late? The bars will be closing soon so he hopes the three other hunters are ready for more possible company. He wishes he could help out but understands why they refuse to let him. He's an easy target for the Nixie. Even so, he feels helpless.

Sam hears someone unlocking the motel door and he lifts his head to see who's coming in.

"Hey," Lou greets him as she walks in and plops down at the foot of the bed Sam's sitting in while taking off her coat.

"Hi," he returns.

"Find anything worth sharing?"

Sam makes a disgruntled face. "Not really. I found out they are as easy to kill as humans, which we already knew from experience."

"Guess I found that out the hard way, didn't I?" Lou smirks. "Or maybe it was the easy way…"

"Yeah, nice shot by the way. Never got the chance to tell you that before."

"Why thank you, you're too kind," she says acting overly thankful for the compliment. Sam grins with her silly actions and gives her a friendly nudge with his foot.

"Seriously, you're a hell of a shot. Thanks for, you know, saving my ass and all."

Lou drops her hand on Sam's jean-clad leg. "You're more than welcome and I'm sure you'd do the same in a heartbeat."

"Yes I would," he assures honestly.

"So is there anything else you've found or is that it?" Lou asks, walking to the table to retrieve her own laptop.

"I came across something else in that old book," Sam adds. "I think there is a chance that the Nixie all have a single matriarch, one female that they all come from. Considering the first time that they appeared only one guy vanished, then there must have been…"

"Only one Nixie," Lou finishes for him. She swats lightly at Sam's shoulder to get him to move over and after he shifts she sits down next to him, mirroring his position with legs laid out in front of her and her computer in lap.

"Exactly. So they're all the same bloodline. A whole series of mothers and daughters. And it's believed that they are very loyal and dependent on their elders."

"Interesting," Lou says as she turns on her laptop. "I don't know how that'll come in handy, but it's definitely interesting."

"I thought so," Sam says while opening up his own computer once more. Having Lou back somewhat revitalizes his drive to continue his search.

"Anything about green glowing light in there?" she questions.

"Um," Sam stalls while he pulls up the site he found earlier. "There was an interesting drawing in the old book you found of a Nixie glowing green. It didn't mention anything about it, just a picture. Didn't make sense to me until now. Also, this site mentions it briefly." Lou leans over to look at the screen in front of Sam.

"Uh, it's in German," she observes. "Tell me you fucking speak German."

"Not really," he laughs. "But Latin has kinda become a second language through the years so I've been able to get the basic idea. It says something along the lines of the green light being the Nixie's soul dying."

"You never cease to amaze, you know that Sam? You might be the smartest person I know. Probably ever will know," Lou compliments with a hand placed lightly to his cheek before pulling it back away. "Ok, so that makes sense with Riva. She got shot, she died, her soul glows green and disappears," Lou rationalizes. "What about the two other lights in the water. Those were souls too?"

"I assume so, yeah," Sam says, brushing off the feeling he has from the close contact. "Maybe they were from Nixie who had already gotten their rocks off and returned to the water?" Lou raises her eyebrows at the suggestion.

"I can get on board with that. But why would two other Nixie die at the same time as Riva?"

"That I can't tell you," Sam says.

"I know who can though," Lou lights up with her idea. She jumps out of the bed and picks up the old weathered book. "We gotta go back."

"Why?" Sam questions, confusion written all over his face.

"Gotta get Brooke talking. She's all we have." Lou walks to the bed and offers to take Sam's laptop for him.

"Brooke? Who the hell is Brooke?" Sam asks. He's now thoroughly confused.

"A Nixie that showed up after you two left. We have her tied to a pole."

"Ah, should I be going too then?" Sam questions, worried about being exposed to any more of the man-hungry Nixie once again.

"Here," Lou reaches into her jacket pocket. She pulls out something that she drops into his hand. "I made a stop on the way home. Use those and you should be fine, just don't talk to Brooke, ok?" Lou picks up Sam's laptop and places it on the table before grabbing his coat and playfully tossing onto his head.

Sam pulls his heave jacket off of his head and opens his fist. He sees the packet of earplugs Lou bought him.

"Nice, thanks," Sam says as gets up from the bed and puts on his coat. The two leave, book in hand, to return to the old building.

* * *

Headlights wash through the building's shattered windows once again and Lizzy knows exactly what that means.

"We've got more company," she warns Dean. Lizzy rushes over to Brooke. Her wiseass comments became more than Lizzy and Dean cared to handle so her mouth remains taped shut. She was raising questions neither appreciated and now was not the time nor the place to have such heavy conversations. "Make a peep and you die," she threatens while aiming her gun at Brooke's head.

Dean creeps to the window, gun drawn, and peers over the edge. He watches the familiar silver Toyota come to a stop behind the Impala.

"It's just Lou and Sam," Dean tells her before standing and putting his Colt back into his waistband. He walks away from the window and returns to his seat on one of the crates. Lizzy stands up from the floor and puts her gun away also.

Sam and Lou rush through the door. Ignoring the two hunters watching her, Lou immediately turns toward Brooke, drops down onto the floor next to her and places the old book that she brought on the ground. Once everything started to fall into place, Lou was having a hard time containing her impatience. They were so close to figuring it all out and she knew Brooke could give them the missing information they needed.

Lizzy sits back down on the floor next to Lou, facing Brooke, while Dean jumps off of the crate to join them. They both see the wild look in Lou's eyes. She's definitely on to something, they know it.

"Hey there, Brooke. Remember me?" Lou jests as she pulls the tape away from Brooke's lips in a much more gentile way than Lizzy had. If she's going to get anything out of her, Lou needs to be nice. She takes up the book again, turns to a certain page and holds it out to Brooke. Lou points to the specific drawing of a Nixie glowing green that Sam had found and wastes no time. "Is this what happens when you die?"

"Short answer, yes," Brooke says.

"Long answer?" Sam questions stoically, walking up just behind Lou, arms crossed and eyes fixed on the Nixie.

"Our souls glow green as they die out. We don't ever die of old age; we only die when something happens to us and when it happens it's kind of a big deal."

"How so?" Lou inquires. "And does it have something to do with your bloodline?"

Brooke pauses. She furrows her brow and looks away. Lou snaps her fingers three times rapidly and holds out her hand to Lizzy. Knowing what Lou wants, Lizzy pulls out her Glock and drops it in Lou's hand. Lou points it at Brooke and demands, "Answer me." Nice didn't' work so she reverts to good old-fashioned violence and threats.

"Yes," Brooke says quietly, buckling. "Our bloodline is a very strong bond. We're all… affected when one of us dies."

"Affected how?" Lou quickly follows up.

Brooke closes her eyes with frustration. "Severely. Mortally."

"Is it true you all come from one mother?" Sam asks. This time Brooke does not speak, only nods her head in confirmation. Sam and Lou share a quick, wide eyed glance with the information.

"Outside! All of us!" Lou shouts while handing back the handgun to Lizzy. She replaces the tape over Brooke's mouth. "You've been very helpful. Sorry about the tape." Brooke nods in understanding as a silent tear runs down her cheek. Lou does feel some remorse for making Brooke turn on her own kind like that, but it needed to be done to save the innocent men in this town. She quickly makes her way out the front entrance to join the rest of her group.

"We need to find the first Nixie!" Lou half whispers, half shouts with excitement.

"Why?" Dean questions. He and Lizzy both feel a little out of the loop. Not everything is so easily spelled out for them.

"Don't you get it?" Sam asks. "We kill the oldest one, we kill them all!"

"What?" Lizzy shouts. She and Dean exchange very lost looks. "Wait, slow down, one of you! Try explaining this whole thing again."

"Alright," Sam inhales deeply. "When Lou shot Riva, she began glowing green. That was her soul dying. We also saw two other green glowing masses in the water. They were the souls of two other Nixie that had already mated and returned to the water. They also died when Riva did because they were a part of Riva's bloodline." Sam takes a moment to breath and Lou picks up where he left off.

"Every time you kill a Nixie, the younger members of that line die. So the ones in the water that died were Riva's daughter and granddaughter. Or maybe great-grandkids or something like that."

"If that's true, then Riva was the biggest GILF I've even seen, or G-GILF," Dean mentions.

"No shit," Lizzy agrees. "So basically you're saying that if we can kill the HBIC…" Lizzy figures.

"HBIC?" Sam asks.

"Head bitch in charge," Dean smiles then turns to Lizzy while pointing at Sam. "He hates reality TV."

"That crap'll rot your brain," Sam comments very quickly. "And yes, we kill the first Nixie, we kill them all. They all die."

Lizzy and Dean stand silently while letting the revelation wash over them for a moment. As the information seeps in and the picture gets clearer, Lizzy smiles widely.

"Oh my God," Lizzy finally says with awe.

"Awesome," Dean grins to his little brother with a clap on his back. It was times like this he was the most proud of Sam.

"I fucking love you two!" Lizzy shouts. After a full week of research, constant dead ends, serious frustration and the loss of seven innocent lives, she can't hide her excitement. She also can't contain it either and she nearly bowls Lou over while running full-speed into her and giving her a huge hug.

"Jesus, Lizard," Lou says as she nearly gets toppled over by her friend. Lizzy kisses Lou full on the mouth in her frenzy of enthusiasm and Lou pushes her off. "Whoa, take it easy!"

"Don't even try to act like that's the first time I've kissed you, Louie," Lizzy says with a bright toothy grin. Sam and Dean exchange knowing looks when they hear the comment. Dean had theorized a few months ago that the two had to have hooked up before. Sam had bet him fifty bucks that there was no way that would have ever happened. Sam may just owe Dean some money now and Dean hopes with all his might that he does.

"Not the point. We still have a lot of work ahead of us. Calm down, dude."

"Calmer than you are," Lizzy quickly responds. Dean laughs with the reference to such an excellent movie and he watches as she begins running towards Sam.

"Don't think I've forgotten about you, Sam-I-Am," she tells him while mid-air. She leaps up onto him and, lucky for her, Sam catches her. She begins placing quick little kisses across his forehead. "My God, I love that brain of yours Sam! It's brilliant!" Sam blushes a little before putting Lizzy back down. "Seriously, you're amazing," she reinforces with a hug around his waist.

"Thanks," he says to her shyly while awkwardly returning the embrace. It is an uncomfortable moment for Sam and Lizzy can tell, but sometimes her emotions get the best of her. She's always been overly outward with her feelings; whether it is saying exactly what she's feeling out loud or showing it. Dean has always liked the showing it part of her much more.

"Wow, you're kinda nutty, huh?" Dean asks Lizzy with a laugh.

"I like to call it passionate," she responds. She walks over to Dean and wraps her arms around his waist.

"Well whatever it is, I like it," he tells her, dropping his arm around her shoulder. "Sanity's overrated anyways."

"Damn straight," she responds while still bouncing on her heels.

"So what now?" Dean looks to the research professionals.

"Now, we find out where the HBIC is and get her." Lou heads back into the building to question Brooke once more.

* * *

"That was a total waste of time," Dean laments as he yawns. He's worn out and woozy yet he's unsure of which it's from; being up for well over twenty-four hours or the blow to the back of his head. Probably both, he thinks. .

"Total waste," Lou echoes as they all stand once more out in from of the building. "She's not going to tell us anything more. Why would she really? I know I wouldn't."

"Neither would I," Lizzy agrees. Brooke already told them more than she should have. She'd be putting her entire race in jeopardy if she let them in on anything else.

"Great," Sam complains while rubbing his palms into his eyes. "What the hell do we do now? It's got to be close to morning."

"Yup. 3:53 AM to be exact," Lou says checking her watch. "We aren't going to be useful for much longer. We need to rest, especially you." Lou's looking at Dean who is in mid yawn yet again.

"That's true. You should probably get some sleep and start taking care of that concussion," Lizzy suggests while placing her hand lightly on the back of his head over the bandage.

"Yeah, but we can't just leave Brooke here," Lou says. "And what about Riva's body out back? They both have to be… dealt with."

The hunters all collectively sigh at the thought. They all know what needs to be done and their exhaustion is beginning to make everything that much more difficult.

"Fuuuuuuuuuck," Lizzy draws out. "This blows."

"I so don't want to do Brooke in," Lou sadly says, hoping for someone else to step up to the plate. "Any volunteers before we draw straws?"

"I'll do it," Sam says.

"Right here," Dean declares at the same exact time. Sam rolls his eyes and raises his fist ready to ro-sham-bo for it. Without speaking, Dean raises his fist also and, as usual, they make a decision using their often used game. And, as usual, Dean throws scissors and loses.

"Two out of three," Dean says.

"No way," Sam rebuts. "Not this time."

"What? Why not?" Dean asks loudly.

"Because you always lose. Then you always say two out of three and you still always lose. I'm tired. Let's skip the middleman."

"Whatever." Dean glares at his little brother, hating how right he is. He takes out his trusty Colt and walks into the warehouse, wanting to get it over with as quickly as possible. Killing things, especially human-looking things, never gets easier. It takes a certain toll on a person over time and now Dean just piles these types of things on his ever growing pile of baggage and terrible memories.

The three others stay outside, not wanting to be witness to such a thing if they didn't have to. There are certain difficult and really quite horrendous things they must do in their field of work. Usually, the creatures they kill are completely devious, killing humans at the drop of a hat and with no remorse. This was different. The Nixie were only killing because their survival depended on it. They were protecting their own… much like the four hunter themselves do every day.

Sam, Lou and Lizzy all jump at the loud and sudden sound of Dean's gun going off. Immediately, the warehouse is filled with the green light Lizzy and Lou had seen earlier that night. After a few seconds, the light shoots through a hole that has worn in the roof and, coming from behind the structure, they see another green mass lift up out of the water at the same time. They both dissipate quickly and it is over.

"That was amazing," Sam says with complete awe as he stares up at the now empty sky. He's glad he got the chance to see the display. It was new and exciting to see for him.

"Probably should have warned Dean about all that,huh?" Lizzy comments as she sees Dean half-walk, half-jog back out the entrance.

"Is that what happened last time!?" he questions with alarm as he points his gun in the direction of the now darkened building he's hustling out of. He was absolutely unprepared for the sight.

"Pretty much," Lizzy tells him. "You ok?"

"Would be better if someone had told me  _that_  was about to happen!"

"And ruin the surprise? Never!" Lou laughs. "Seriously though, thank you for taking one for the team like that."

"No problem," Dean responds loudly, still clearly annoyed, as he reaches their small circle. Lizzy rubs up and down Dean's upper arm in a quiet apology.

"Well, how about this," Lizzy starts. "You two get Brooke out back with Riva," she says to Lou and Sam. "I'll get to the car and grab some shovels, salt, and lighter fluid then put Sleepy over here in the back seat for a nap." She turns her attention to Dean. "That concussion isn't going to get any better if you don't stop and rest. Get some sleep and we'll do the salting and burning."

Dean opens his mouth to protest but gets cut off before he can say anything.

"It's ok, Dean. She's right, go rest," Sam reassures as he and Lou start heading inside.

"C'mon," Lizzy tells Dean while grabbing his hand and pulling him towards her car. She smiles warmly up at him. "Let Doctor Noonan take care of you again," she giggles as they walk.

"You know doctor, there's something else I'd been meaning to have you check out…"

* * *

 


	10. My Tongue, Enough Said

* * *

“Hey sleepy.”

Dean hears it as if her voice is far off in the distance.  He knows it’s Lizzy but he’s so tired that he ignores it.  A small hand lightly runs along his cheek and he wakes a little more and leans into the soft, gentle contact. 

“Mmm,” he hums with the warmth of her touch, but refuses to open his eyes. 

“Dean, wake up.  Please.”  She’s trying her best to get him awake again, even though she’d give anything not to.  He looks so peaceful.  And she knows just how badly he needs the rest.  “I doubt I’d be able to carry you across the lot, up the stairs and into the room.  Help me out?”

He opens his eyes and is immediately greeted by bright brown orbs hovering over him.  “Five more minutes, mom?” he jests.

“No way, man.  C’mon out.” 

Dean slowly eases himself to a seated position and waits for the slight dizziness to fade.  He must have gotten hit a lot harder than he’d thought.  Once the car stopped spinning he recognizes the motel in front of them and brightening morning sky behind it.   He turns to the side to drop his feet on the pavement and Lizzy holds out her hands to help him up.

“Don’t go too fast or those spins will come right back,” she issues a warning.  Eventually he’s standing outside the car and the two are walking into their humble abode.  Once in the room, Dean shrugs off his coat and lets it drop to the floor, not bothering to pick it up.  He then sits down onto the bed he’d slept in the night before.  He’s so tired his brain won’t function clearly anymore and his eye lids have never felt so heavy as they do right now.  Dropping back onto the bed with his feet hanging off the edge, he lets his eyes once again close.

“Not so fast,” Lizzy says, stopping Dean from passing out.  “Move up?” she asks him.  Dean slides himself up the bed until his head comes to a pillow and his legs are completely resting on the bed.  The cushion feels much better under his still slightly throbbing dome.  He feels his head being lifted and then placed back down onto something very cold.  He winces with the sudden temperature change.  “Just a few minutes for the swelling, ok?”  He looks up at her and smiles.

“You know best, right?”

“Sure do, Hot Shot,” she returns while taking a seat next to Dean’s feet.  She begins unlacing his left boot and pries it off. 

“Thanks,” he says with a grin while watching her work with her back to him.  Her fingers move dexterously while untying the laces and when she gets the right boot off she stands up and walks across the room.

“Don’t mention it.  I’m gonna get ready for some seriously sleep.  We have five hours before we have to get up and trade places with Sam and Lou so take advantage,” Lizzy explains as she closes the bathroom door.

“Ok,” Dean says as he begins to drift off.  After a few minutes he assumes, though he isn’t sure as he was already half asleep, he hears the door to the bathroom open again and soon his head is being lifted up once more.

“I won’t make you sleep on an icepack,” she tells him.

“Would I have noticed?” Dean quips.

“Probably not,” Lizzy giggles while dropping the pack on the nightstand and undoing her jeans.  Dean musters the little strength he has left to lift his weary head off of his pillow and watch as Lizzy strips down to her tank top and underwear before heading in his direction.  Watching her movement as she unclothes is one of his favorite sights.  She’s graceful, even while doing the most mundane tasks, though getting half-naked is no mundane task, he thinks to himself.  Lizzy stands at the foot of the bed once more.

“You comfortable like that?” she asks before leaning forward onto the bed and crawling her way on all fours from the foot up to where Dean lays, straddling him once she reaches him.  “Fully clothed?”

“Never, honestly,” he jests while smoothing his hands over her legs. 

“Up,” Lizzy tells him while pulling him towards her by the biceps until he’s sitting.  Placing her hands on his shoulders under his green jacket, she pushes it off of him and helps free his arms from it.  She tosses the item to the floor then grabs the bottom hem of Dean’s t-shit and pulls it up over his head, letting it join the growing heap of clothing on the carpet.  Lizzy keeps going, undoing his belt and jeans before pausing for a moment. 

“It’s a shame we have so little time to rest up before heading back,” she bemoans while running her hands down his chest.  “Have to use it actually sleeping.”

Dean chuckles while dragging his hands lazily across her back.  “You’re lucky my eggs are thoroughly scrambled and it’s making me exhausted right now.  If I had my wits about me you’d be in huge trouble.”

 Lizzy grins widely and kisses Dean deeply.  She musters all her self-control to pull away from him before getting up and walking to his feet.  She grasps the cuffs of his jeans and pulls until his pants are in her hands.  “Better?” she asks once they are on the floor with the rest of their clothing and he’s left with just boxer briefs.

“Much,” Dean smiles.  He follows her with his eyes as she flicks the light switch off, makes her way to the open side of the bed and climbs in, pulling the covers over them both as she does.  She pulls him to her, his head laying on her chest and her arm around his neck.  He wraps his arm around her and they settle into a comfortable place.  Dean closes his eyes once more, enjoying the calm and comfort of where he is at the moment.   He runs his hand up and down Lizzy’s free arm and his fingers drag across the new scar he’d previously seen on the back of it. 

“Hey, you’re gonna have to tell me what happened here,” he tells her. 

“I will.  You know, I think we’re gonna have to do a lot of talking, honestly,” she tells him.  It’s true, they both know it.  They’ve found themselves in an interesting and complicated impasse.  Their lives are difficult to say the least and where exactly they fit into each other’s is still a little bit of a mystery.

“Yeah, we do,” he agrees in a small, sleepy voice, slightly dreading what’s to come.

“For now though, no talk.  Just sleep,” Lizzy says before she hears the slowed breathing coming from next to her.  Dean’s already deep asleep.  She lazily makes circles with her fingers in his short blonde hair while listening to the sound she now knows she loves hearing.  It’s soothing.  While asleep, she’s always thought Dean looked so innocent, so peaceful, and so absolutely adorable, like he’s a kid again.  She takes the nearly silent moment and recognizes how beyond content she is over something so small.  With Dean sleeping in her arms, she is the happiest she’s been in months, maybe years even.

Lizzy thinks about the past day and a half and how valuable these still new allies are to her.  They aren’t even just allies anymore, or just friends.  They’re much bigger than that.  They are family.

For years now, Lou has been her family and, to a certain extent, so has Bobby.  She would do absolutely anything for them, especially her adopted sister.  Today however, she feels she’s gained two new additions to her very tiny, yet very tight clan.  Lou and Lizzy had found themselves caring for the two men they’d had the accidental pleasure of running into from the moment they’d met.  There’s just something about the Winchesters that they’ve never been completely able to put their thumbs on that makes them love them.  And at times, they certainly aren’t easy to love.  The way they avoid certain issues, their inability to process or talk about their emotions, their stubbornness, the obsessive way they both are always completely concerned with each other; they can be impossible.  But that’s what family is, right?  Unconditional love no matter what. 

Lizzy smiles at the thought.  She does love them both.  She looks at them like brothers… well, Sam at least.  Dean’s a little more complicated and definitely not brotherly.  That conversation is going to be difficult, she thinks.  Difficult, but necessary.  She says a silent prayer before going to sleep.  To whom she prays she isn’t sure.  Lizzy’s never been a religious woman, especially after all she’s seen.  She just needs this one thing to workout.  With all the bad she’s experienced, all the things that she’s been denied, and all the loss she’s been through, she just needs this one thing.  She needs Dean in her life.

* * *

“Does Dean know?” Lou asks while taking the last full sip she had left of the coffee Lizzy had run out to get them before leaving.  They’ve been making small talk for hours now and Lou is tired of avoiding the issue at hand.  She hoped he’d be the one to bring it up, but her patience is long gone after waiting for him.

“Does Dean know…?” Sam waits for her to complete the thought.  He knows exactly what she’s referring to but does his best to put it off as long as possible.  He begins picking at the splintering wood of the crate they are seated on in an attempt to avoid her, as if she’d disappear if he stopped acknowledging her existence.

“Are you seriously going to play that game with me right now?” Lou asks, right eyebrow arched.  When Sam just shrugs his shoulders and doesn’t answer, Lou rolls her eyes and huffs in frustration.  “Right.  God forbid a Winchester ever makes anything easy.  Does your brother know about your weirdo headaches?”

“Headaches?  Plural?” Sam questions as Lou catches him completely off guard. 

“Yes, plural.  That was clearly not the first time you’ve been through that.  And don’t try to deny it, you’re totally caught.”  Sam looks at Lou for the first time since the conversation started.  She has a very small, tight-lipped smile on and she’s waiting for an answer. 

“Yes, he knows,” he reluctantly replies.

“Good,” Lou states with relief.  At least he isn’t shouldering whatever this is on his own.  “Are they always that bad?”

“Well, they do usually suck, but that last one was the worst so far.”  He knows she asks because she cares and that’s the reason he replies honestly.  That and it feels good to get some of it off his chest.  “The whole thing is pretty complicated.”

“What makes these freak headaches so complicated?” Lou pries.  Sam doesn’t answer at first and Lou links her arm in his as they sit side by side to show her support.  “It’s ok, Sam.  You know you can tell me.”

Sam knows that indeed he can.  “They’re more than just headaches,” he confesses.  “Headaches are just a side effect.”

“A side effect to what?”

“Visions.”  Crap!  It comes out of his mouth before he had the chance to stop it.  He’s getting too comfortable with her and he knows it.  He shouldn’t be telling Lou any of this.  Dean will kill him if he keeps talking, but for once someone is listening and it feels good.  He’s only had Dean to really talk about everything with and Dean never wants to discuss it.  He wants to avoid it because he can’t handle not being able to help.  Lou won’t turn away or stop talking because she’s scared.  She sticks it out.

“Visions, like premonitions?” Lou asks with serious concern.

“Exactly.  I see something happen before it actually happens.” 

“Holy shit,” Lou sighs.  “I never knew if psychics were real or just a load of crap.  Guess I know they’re no joke now.  Or at least some of them are...”  Sam grins as Lou does her best to keep things light and easy.  Sam’s actually opening the vault so she fights to keep it from closing too soon.  Keep it cool and comfortable, she thinks to herself.  “So does that mean I can get you to tell me tomorrow’s lotto numbers?  I’ll split it 50/50.”

Sam laughs.  “That’d be nice.  No more credit card scams or hustling pool.  Nice hotels now and then.”

“Fuck all of that, Sam!  You’re thinking small picture.  Think big!  We could flee to Mexico and drink margaritas on the beach until we pass out every day for the rest of our lives!”  She playfully leans her weight into him with her silly idea.

“That’d be nice too,” Sam smiles in return.  “But I can’t really control what I see, so no lotto numbers.”  He’s finding it easier and easier to admit the truth the more and more he speaks.  It feels so good and freeing to let someone else besides Dean in on this.

“What a waste.  And here I was hoping to get you in a Speedo,” Lou complains with a grin.  “So what _do_ you see then?”

Sam knows he needs to tread lightly here.  Letting her in on too much could put her at risk.  At risk for what, he’s unsure.  They know this whole thing has to do with the yellow-eyed demon and that there are others like him, and for Sam and Dean that was more than enough.  It’s still too uncertain and he isn’t taking any chances.

“Random things,” Sam answers.  “Usually they have to do with someone in trouble.  Luckily Dean and I have been able to follow up on the things I’ve seen and have been able to help out a few people here and there.”

“So it’s actually helpful,” Lou surmises. 

“It can be,” Sam answers.  He contemplates telling her about his dreams of Jessica before she died, but he decides that would be too much.  As good as it would be to get that horrible truth off his chest, it wouldn’t be wise.

“So what did you see this last time?”

“I saw the sky.  It was like I was lying on the ground looking up.  It was overcast and dreary.  And really quiet.  That was it,” Sam tells her.

“You hear things too?” Lou asks with surprise.

“Yep.”

“So not only are you a psychic, but you’re a good psychic.”  Lou smiles and playfully nudges Sam again with her shoulder.

“I guess so.  Not really though,” Sam laughs.

“What am I thinking right now?” Lou asks him while making a face that tells him he’s been challenged.

“You’re thinking I’m a freak,” Sam says in a half-serious tone.  It is the one thing he’s feared since opening up about this to her.  He definitely didn’t want her opinion of him to change.

“Nope,” Lou replies.  “That’s what _you’re_ thinking.  Don’t project you’re insecure thoughts onto me, Sam Winchester.”

“Sorry,” he apologizes with a lopsided grin.  She’s right.  It is exactly what he’d been thinking.  “Maybe you’re the psychic.”

“Ha!  Nope, I’m just good at reading people.  And, by the way, you’re definitely not a freak,” she tells him.  “Freaks don’t travel nine hours to help some friends they’d just met.”

“Ok,” Sam nods his head.  They stay silent for a moment and Lou reaches down to lock her hand into his before speaking again.

“You’re a terrible psychic by the way,” Lou makes fun.  “Just no good at all.”

“Ouch,” Sam feigns insulted.

“If you were any good, you would have known I was thinking about how I was going to manage getting back into those pants of yours at some point.”

Sam looks at her, eyebrows lifted in total shock, and starts lightly laughing in an awkward manner at her boldness. 

“Wow,” Sam states.  “That was… unexpected.”

“Unexpected my ass,” she calls him out.  “You know what you look like, Sam.  And I have eyes with 20/20 vision so I know what you look like too.”

“Ah, thank you?” he hesitantly says.

“You’re very welcome.  You’re hot, Sam.  Don’t be so damn modest all the time.  Enjoy it,” she scolds while getting up from her seat and standing between his knees.  “And I know for a fact that we work well together on more than just research.”  Lou winks up at the tall, now very timid feeling man in front of her as she brings her arms around his neck.  Seeing him so shy and intimidated by the small woman makes Lou laugh a little.

“That is very true,” Sam admits with a bowed head, trying to hide behind his hair.  Lou always objectified Sam at every chance she got and he still isn’t quite used to it. 

“Hey,” she says while peeking under his shaggy locks.  "You had fun last time we hooked up, if I remember correctly… and I’m pretty sure I do.”

“That is also very true,” Sam blushes while growing the courage to look at her again.  She smiles at him in a way that lets him know he’s in trouble before pulling him towards her to kiss him gently, taking it easy on the very apprehensive man… for now at least.  She pulls back just slightly and smiles.

“Just saying, Dean isn’t the only one who should have some fun now and then,” Lou tells him while climbing up onto his lap, straddling the man nearly four times her size with a knee on either side of his hips.  “You need to relax a little, give in to being human sometimes.  All work and no play makes Sammy a very tense boy.” 

Sam laughs but is stopped when he’s kissed once more by the boldest woman he’s ever had the absolute pleasure of knowing.  Maybe she’s right, he thinks to himself as he gives into Lou’s efforts, kissing her back and letting the familiar rush wash over him.  While at Bobby’s house, they’d spent the night together once and, he had to admit, it was a fun night.  More fun than he usually allows himself.  It was after the whole mess with Madison, however, and he’d felt awkward afterwards for letting himself move on so fast.  Luckily, Lou was her usual, kind self and let him know it was just fun and games and put his mind at ease.  No wonder Dean did this kind of thing all the time… or at least he used to.  It’s fun as hell.

They stay where they are, lips thoroughly locked and enjoy their high school style make-out session.  Sam immediately finds the hesitation wash away when her knots his hands in her hair and holds her close to him.  Before long things start getting heavier and Lou slips her arms through her jacket sleeves, trying to free herself from the heavy item.  Once it’s on the dirt floor, she then starts peeling back Sam’s coat and he helps her get the bulky item off of him, letting it drop behind him on the crate.  Lou’s been dying for this opportunity for months now and her impatience is very obvious. 

“Holy shit,” Lou smiles out against Sam’s lips with glee as her hands run up under his shirt and she relishes the feel of Sam’s well-maintained body.  She’s almost forgotten just how good it was… almost.  “Jesus, you must work out all the fucking time.”

“I have a routine,” he states simply and grins back before bringing their lips together again.  Lou runs her hands higher against his body and keeps going, lifting his t-shirt over his head and throwing it to the floor haphazardly.  Her hands roam all over his torso, unable to help herself, as she playfully take his bottom lip between her teeth.  Lou knows this is the hottest man she’s ever been with and happy isn’t even a good enough word to describe how she feels about getting a second round with him. 

“Gotta be one hell of a routine,” Lou tells him when his lips leave hers to seek out her neck.  She moans softly when his tongue drags downwards and finds the junction at her shoulder.  Lou runs her hands through his hair and grinds down into his lap when his teeth graze her shoulder.  “Ah, _there’s_ the Sam I’ve been looking for.”  Sam laughs at her comment and his voice comes out with a slightly evil edge.  Sam’s always been a very motivated, and at times aggressive, lover.  He just always needs a push in the right direction to get him there, to let go of pretenses and shut off that ridged and overworked brain of his.  Lucky for him, Lou certainly knew how to do that. 

Lou pushes Sam back from her, just enough to pull her own shirt over her head.  It’s cold in the morning in Missouri mid-winter, but neither seem to care or notice as their temperatures rise along with their growing carnal urges.  Sam wraps his arms around Lou and pulls her into him, closing the few inches that had been between them, the body heat of each other warm and inviting.  They kiss again, deep and serious, hands everywhere and tongues twisting. 

It’s then that Lou moves in close to Sam’s ear, ensuring to get his full attention when she whispers to him, “I’ve been thinking about you nonstop since you got here, you know.”  She feels Sam’s chest twitch and breath hitch at what she tells him.  She smiles with the reaction and decides to keep going as she feels Sam’s hand run up her back and make quick work of the clasp holding her bra in place.  “Thinking about your lips,” she pauses to kiss him as she bring her arms through the straps of her bra and toss it away.  “Thinking about your very talented fingers,” she says against his mouth while grasping ahold of one of his hands, pulling it towards her lips, and taking his index finger into her mouth. 

“Oh my God,” is all Sam can sigh out at the sigh and sensation Lou is giving him.  He watches intently, locking eyes with her as she swirls her tongue around his digit and truly succumbs to the fiery woman on top of him.  She slowly pulls his finger back out of her mouth and keeps her eyes trained on him, loving every change in his expression to her actions and words.  She drags his hand over her chin, down her neck and places it firmly on her now bare chest.

“Most of all, though,” Lou continues to confess as she releases his wrist and reaches in between them to open the button and zipper of his pants, “I’ve missed my Iron _Giant_.”  She emphasizes the last word as she wraps her small hand around his impressive length.  Boy, had she missed that!

The moment Sam feels her hand, it puts him in action.  He takes ahold of Lou’s forearm, pulls her hand out from his pants and drapes it around his neck instead.  Lou gives him a very confused look, never having had a man stop her like that before.  Most were happy to oblige her usually very forward advances and Sam had been one of those men the last time they’d been together.  When she feels Sam scoot off of the crate and lift her high off the ground, she loses the confused look and replaces it with a wanting one. 

Leaning into him, both arms now grasping his shoulders, she kisses him again as he turns them around, pulling his coat to the edge of the wooden box before placing her down onto it.  He leans over her, kissing his way down her body, stopping to relish her most sensitive spots, and comes to a halt when he reaches the top of her jeans.  He kneels down onto the dirt floor between her legs and starts undoing her pants much like she had just done for him.  He slides the fabric down over her legs and onto the floor.  Smiling up at her devilishly, Lou feels the tingle of excitement run through her with his expression and actions.

Slowly running his hands up her calves, her thighs, over her hips, he hooks his fingers onto the panties.

“I’m going to make sure that the next time you think about me all day, you don’t forget one important part.”  Sam pulls the delicate fabric down until he finds her completely naked in front of him, cheeks flushed with excitement.  He’s growing bolder by the moment.

“Oh yeah?” Lou grins, loving how worked up she managed to get the usually shy and reserved man before her.  “And what part of you might that be?”

Sam waits a beat, smile lingering on his lips, before leaning down.  He brings his face between her legs, making her hips jump with the proximity, before saying to her the phase that officially melts her brain. 

“My tongue.”

* * *

“Feel free, by the way,” Lizzy says, pointing to her iPod that is plugged into the dock on her dashboard.  Dean takes the opportunity happily, not really enjoying the Arcade Fire playing in the car.  “I can tell by your face this isn’t exactly your cup of tea.”

“No it is not.  I’m not generally a fan of whiney douche bags in my music,” he remarks while picking up the device and scrolling through it. 

“Hey!  Watch your mouth, Winchester.  I like this band, a lot,” Lizzy warns.

“And I used to think your taste in music was something to be respected.”  Dean immediately regrets the light-hearted insult when he feels Lizzy’s fist crash with force into his shoulder.  “Ow,” he says with annoyance.

“My taste in music kicks ass,” she informs him.

Dean maneuvers into the playlists to pick one of Lizzy’s many compilations and stops when he sees his name as one of the playlist titles.  Smiling, he selects it and starts looking through the songs.  The first two were ‘Traveling Riverside Blues’ and ‘Ramble On’ so he presses play with glee.  “So you made me into a playlist?”  He says it more like a statement than a question.

“Ah, yeah.  Guess I did, didn’t I?”  Her face is showing slight embarrassment as Dean continues reading off the songs aloud. 

“‘Dirty White Boy’, ‘Whiskey Rock and Roller’, ‘Cross Country Boy’, ‘Touch Too Much’… this is how you view me in song form?” 

“Pretty much,” she giggles.  “Am I that far off?”

“No,” Dean surprisingly admits.  “You kinda hit the nail on the head, actually.”  He finds himself impressed with her still uncanny, or uncanny to him at least, ability to see right through him.

“Looks like I know who I’m dealing with then, huh?” she jests. 

“Don’t get too cocky over there, L.  You know me well enough, but not completely.  I am a complex and complicated individual.  An enigma, really.”  He shares with her his best shit-eating grin as he jests.

“You joke, but what you say is somewhat true,” she says.  “And, I hate to tell you, but I see and know a lot more about you than you think I do.”

Dean wrinkles his forehead with her confidence and feels the need to challenge her.  “Ok smart ass, let ‘er rip.”

“Oh boy, where to start,” she wags her eyebrows at him before returning her focus to the road.  “How about this; you are a man of serious excess.”

Dean narrows his eyes at her.  “How do you figure?”

“Well, you drink too much, you eat too much, your confidence in your hunting ability is sometimes too high… which kinda scares me by the way… your music is too loud, you bottle too much up, you fuck too much… shall I continue?”  She glances over with a sly look and recognizes the startle in his expression, even though he is doing his best to hide it. 

“Alright,” he shakily says, “Doesn’t take a genius to figure out all of that.  You’re just observant.”

“Correction, I’m very observant.”

“I can agree with that.”

“And I even think I know why you do everything to excess.” 

“Hold on,” Dean stops her.  “That’s a bold statement.  I would love to hear what you think you know about me, Dr. Phil.”  He’s more than curious at this point.

“It’s the way you were raised.  You never had any fun.  Spent you’re whole childhood being a parent to Sam so of course you would go after any and everything enjoyable now.  No one is around to tell you no anymore and since Sam is an adult, you no longer have to watch him like he’s a child… though you still do quite often.  You actually have freedom in a way to do whatever you’d like.”  Lizzy has been thinking hard about what Lou had told her earlier and Lou had been totally right.

“That’s also why I see in you a totally different light than you see yourself,” she continues.  “You see the outside stuff a lot.  The excessive behavior and the more, um, gruff side of yourself.  But I don’t.  I see the selfless and caring person that you really are.  I see the guy who was forced to become a man at way too young an age because he loves his brother with everything he has, because family comes first.  I see the guy who’s given up everything because he’s driven by pure goodness to save people and fight the evil shit that walks this Earth.  I see a pure heart, a jaded adult, and a wounded kid all at the same time.  To say you’re a complex person is actually an understatement, Dean.”

Dean stays stock still in his seat.  He wasn’t even aware of everything she’s just brought up about his own self, but he does know for sure that she nailed it.  How she did it, he doesn’t understand and now Dean is left feeling wide open, like he’s naked in front of his high school math class… well, one of them, at least.

“Uh-oh, Dean Winchester is speechless.  Now I’m worried,” she laughs but stops when she looks over at him and realizes how seriously Dean is taking the conversation.  “Wait, am I really freaking you out?  I’m sorry, Dean.  Shit, I’ll stop.”

“No,” he interrupts.  “I mean yes, I am a little freaked out that you figured out so much about me.  But I’m not trying to get you to stop.  Hearing you say those things, it’s terrifying, yet not scary at all somehow, if that makes any sense at all.”

“Terrifying because it’s said it out loud, but not because I am the one saying it?”

“Probably.”  Definitely, he thinks to himself.

“Well, I don’t know what else I have left, honestly,” she shares a small grin.  “To me, you’re a whole lot of things.  Some bad, mostly good, but all together you’re a hell of a guy.  I feel honored to be a part of your story, Dean.”

“Wow.  Uh, thanks,” he sighs, still dumbfounded by the conversation.  He never knew what a freakin’ open book he was.  “Shit L, you might know more about me than I do.”

“Maybe.  But you know me too, dude,” she counters.  “I’m sure if you really thought about it, you’d find you know me quite well.”

“I know you like wimpy emo music,” he pokes fun.

“Arcade Fire is not emo.  And you’d know that if you ever tried to expand your musical horizons.”

“Not gonna happen because my music is awesome as it is.  And yes, I do know a little about you.” 

“Alright Hot Shot, what do you think you know?”  She’s very interested in what he thinks of her.  Being such a closed door usually, it’s always nice to get a glimpse inside the mind of Dean.

“I know that you grew up without siblings, which is why you always try to take charge of things, like at the police station.  You always need to take the lead because you probably always got your way at home.  You didn’t have to share.”  He looks over at Lizzy out of the corner of his eye and sees her nod her head in surprise while looking out the windshield.  Alright, he got one correct.  Good start.

“Also, you’re a complete hot head,” he states plainly.

“Oh c’mon, everyone knows that!”  No points awarded for that one.  Too obvious, she thinks.

“But I think it’s because of what happened to your parents.”  He pauses here and waits.  Lizzy’s silence lets him know he’s right, or at least that Sam is.  It’s something he’d said once while they were talking about the two girls.  “You’ve never really let go of the pain and anger over their deaths.  Now when something happens to make you mad, it takes over, especially when someone messes with Lou, who just happens to be the closes person you have in your life, much like your parents were.”

“Give the man a prize,” Lizzy quietly returns.  Guess she’s an open book too.

“However, as much as you’re the first to beat the living hell outta someone, you also love to be the caretaker and you’re always the first to fuss over someone.”

“Ok, I’m impressed so far.  Not a bad analysis there, Hot Shot.  And you’re right about the caretaker thing.  Sometimes I care more than I should and it’s totally bitten me in the ass before.” 

“I can imagine.  I mean, you barely knew Sam and I when we met but you treated us like you would your own family.”

“Well, you two are my family.  At least you are now,” she confesses.

“Really?” Dean asks.  It’s unexpected to hear her say that.

“Absolutely.  Lou and I both feel that way.  We have ever since we met you.”

Dean grows quiet and watches the scenery go by the passenger side window.  Family.  A difficult concept for the Winchesters.  They had very little left, just each other and an adopted father figure named Bobby.  They were always weary of the people they let into their lives and with very good reason.

“Would be nice to have a few extra people in our corner.  Trustworthy people, at least,” Dean admits. 

“We’d be delighted if you’d have us,” she tells him.  “And the caretaker thing is something even I don’t understand.  I’ve just always been that way.  My father suffered from migraines frequently and when they got really bad, I was the one who took care of him, constantly checking on him and whatnot.  Anytime Louie got hurt by a boy or needed a shoulder, I was there.  No matter the situation, I just have a need to help people.  Probably why I’m a hunter.”  She pulls the car over at a gas station, parking next to a pump. 

“It _is_ why you are a hunter,” Dean states matter-of-factly.  “No one jumps into this shit if they don’t care and L, and you care more than anyone else I’ve ever met.”  Lizzy smiles with the unintentional compliment.

The conversation is curbed for the moment when Dean opens the door of the car and jumps out. 

“Pop the fuel cover?” Dean asks as he walks around her car to the driver’s side.  She does and he pulls out his wallet and swipes his credit card.  He then slides it back into its slot and tosses the wallet to Lizzy.  “Gas and food is on Lemmy Kilmister today,” he winks.

“Excellent.  Any requests?” she asks while walking toward the convenience store.

“Something microwaved,” Dean says.

“Got it.”  Lizzy walks into the store and immediately starts picking up items.  She pops an egg, cheese, and bacon on an English muffin into the microwave.  She then grabs a small box of cereal, skim milk, and an apple.  Gotta eat healthy sometimes, right?  Dropping them on the counter, she goes back to prepares two coffees, one black for Dean and one with cream and sugar for her, and grabs the sandwich from the microwave once it’s done heating.  The cashier totals it up; she takes out the fraudulent credit card and hands it to him.  It’s then that she spies the wrinkled paper sticking out of a back slot of the old leather wallet.  Having always been a curious person, she can’t help but spy.  She pulls it out of its place, begins unfolding, and recognizes her own handwriting immediately.  It’s the letter she gave Dean before leaving Bobby’s two months ago.  Her heart swells as she looks up from the paper and out the large front display window at the man who has once again pleasantly surprised her.  He’s nodding his head in time with ‘Touch Me’ playing from inside her car, another song from her playlist based on him that seemed completely appropriate, and he’s totally oblivious to the woman fawning over him just feet away. 

“Ma’am?” the cashier breaks into her train of thought, his hand extended with the credit card.

“Sorry, spaced there for a second,” she apologizes.  She folds the note back up and replaces it and the plastic card back into his wallet.  Grabbing the two shopping bags, she runs out to the car as Dean is walking to the passenger side.  They settle back into the car and before buckling in Lizzy leans over and kisses him. 

“What was that for?” Dean asks with a grin as she pulls away and returns to her side.

“I just really like exactly who you are, whether I know everything about you or not,” she smiles while turning the key and driving off in the direction of the park.

* * *

 


	11. Aim for the Bullseye, Ladies

"Poor things," Lizzy worries as they get out of the car. They're once again in the park, ready to take their breakfast into the broken down structure and replace Sam and Lou who were nice enough to let them have the first nap-time. The concussed Dean owes them big time as he does feel at least a little better already. "They must be wrecked."

"I'm sure they're fine," Dean brushes off with the tray of coffees in his hands. They walk across the grass together, but suddenly Lizzy holds out her arm to stop Dean. She hears something from inside the building that leaves her unsettled.

"You hear that?" she whispers. Dean shakes his head no but soon after they both hear some kind of movement followed by the quiet sound of Sam's labored voice. Lizzy looks to Dean with alarm as she drops the plastic bag on the grass and pulls out her Glock. She aims it in front of her and Dean soon follows suit, replacing the coffee cups with his Colt. They slowly and silently make their way to the front door, hearing more shuffling the closer they get, along with what sounds like Lou's voice struggling. Lizzy reaches the doorway first, Dean a couple feet behind her, and with her heartbeat racing, she turns the corner with her gun ready.

Dean watches as Lizzy's eyes pop open wider than he's ever seen them go. She lowers her gun to her side with one hand and covers her smiling yet dropped open mouth with the other. Dean swiftly covers the remaining few feet in a couple long stride and looks for himself.

"Aww, c'mon!" Dean shouts at the sight before him and he quickly turns on his heels and speed walks right back out the door.

Sam and Lou both look over from their interlocked and very naked position. Lou is sitting on the edge of a large wooden crate and Sam is standing between her legs which are wrapped around his waist as he leans over her.  His hands are pressed into the wooden surface on either side of her as he pauses his movements, frozen by shock instead of working at a hard, bruising pace into her. They've been caught in the act. The two, both shocked to say the least, scramble to cover themselves up. Lizzy crosses her arms over her chest and leans against the door frame with nonchalance.

"Oh, don't mind me," she giggles as Sam frantically separates the two of them and searches for his clothing, "Please, continue!"

"Lizzy!" Dean yells to her as he continues walking to the car. "Get outta there!" Sam having sex is now burned into his brain. Yuck. Bad. Gross. He can't be around that, it's too weird. Instinctively he goes right to the comfort of his Impala.

"No way, dude!" Lizzy shouts back to him while eyeing the toned backside of Sam's as he tries to get dressed as fast as possible. "This is better than the circus. Greatest show on Earth my ass!  _This_  is the greatest show on Earth!"

"Alright Lizard, you had your fun," Lou says calmly while putting her pants back on. She seems much less concerned with the situation than Sam, who is tripping over himself while in the process of finding his clothing. "Give us a minute, huh?" Lou is mildly annoyed with Lizzy for interrupting them, but it is their fault that they lost track of time. Should have known better.

"Fine," Lizzy says rolling her eyes. She turns to leave but can't help herself. She steals on last peek at the half-naked Sam before he's able to hide himself from her. "Whoa! That's what you're packing Sam-I-Am?" If she looked surprised before, then now she's in total shock. "Fucking impressive, my man!"

"Told you so," Lou smiles with a wink while hooking her bra.

"I know you did, but seeing is truly believing!" Lizzy loudly replies. "Oh, good for you, honey!" Sam's face grows an even deeper shade of crimson at Lizzy's very forward comments.

"L!" Dean nearly screams through the open window of the Impala he is seated in.

"Alright! alright!" Lizzy shouts back and then sighs loudly. "By the way, you're a total hypocrite, you bitch," she says this while looking at Lou with a smile. She then gives Sam a parting wink before skipping with delight out the front door for a little impromptu therapy session with the seriously traumatized man locked in his car. Dean already has Motorhead blasting from the stereo.

"Well, that could have ended in a better way," Lou says sadly to Sam while they finish getting dressed.

"Understatement," Sam replies in a dead serious tone while hurriedly buckling his belt. He's mortified. He knew he shouldn't have let Lou talk him into messing around while on the job. She worked her charms and he actually went with it… and this is what he gets for it. Dean and Lizzy walking in on them and a whole heap of humiliation.

"Hey, Sam," Lou starts while tossing him his shirt. "Calm down. It's fine."

"Doesn't feel fine," he argues as he catches it. It's a shame too, because before that Sam was actually enjoying himself for once and letting someone through his insanely ridged wall. He's never doing that again, that's for sure.

"So you didn't play it safe for once," Lou tries again to rationalize that everything is in fact ok. "BFD. I like this version of you." She finishes dressing and walks over to Sam who is doing the last button on his shirt.

"Yeah, why don't you tell Dean that," Sam acridly says.

"Why do you care so much about what Dean thinks?"

"We don't really have the same relationship you and Lizzy do. This was… more than we usually share," Sam tells her.

"Does Dean normally care what you think when it comes to what he does?"

"No," Sam responds. Dean always did whatever the hell he felt like doing.

"Then why do you care what he thinks so much?" Lou reasons. "You are your own man, Sam. Stop freaking out for a minute, chalk it up to an embarrassing moment, and move on."

Sam thinks the whole thing over. She makes an excellent point. Why he is so concerned with Dean's opinion over something Dean would have done in a heartbeat is a little baffling. The thought of being anything like Dean, however, is what scares him. He might be Sam's role model in some aspects, but this wasn't one of them. But still, it was fun. He understands why Dean does what he does a little more now.

"I really hope this doesn't stop you from ever trying this again, by the way." Lou points back and forth between the two of them as she looks up with sad eyes. "We never finished up our little, ah, session here. This better be a to-be-continued type situation!" She grabs his ass before heading out to the Impala for some damage control. Sam stands alone for a moment, needing the silence to assemble his thoughts correctly.

* * *

"Would you fucking relax?" Lizzy asks as she takes a seat in the passenger side and pulls the door shut. "What's the big deal anyways? It's your brother. You must have seen him naked a million times."

"Yeah, when he was two!" Dean loudly rebuts.

"Seriously?" she asks with wonder. "Living in such tight quarters I just assumed it was a normal thing. I see Lou naked all the damn time."

"What?" Dean looks at her with shock. "That's normal for you?"

"Yeah. It is. Guess  _we're_  the odd ones here," Lizzy says with sarcasm while rolling her eyes. He's overreacting big time.

"You are," Dean quickly returns.

"Could you take a second here and stop before you give yourself an aneurism or something?" Lizzy's completely thrown by Dean's reaction. "He's having fun. What the big deal? And isn't that the Dean Winchester way?" She laughs.

"It's not the Sam way though," Dean replies, calming down and seeing the situations for what it really is. "It's strange because… it's Sam. He doesn't just hook up like it's no big deal. He doesn't do any stupid shit like I do. He's the golden boy." It was more the shock of Sam acting so out of character that got to him than anything else, though the whole bare-assed thing still has him uncomfortable.

"And Lou is kinda evil. Corrupting the innocent is something she takes pride in," Lizzy lightheartedly explains. "Wouldn't be the first time she got a good boy to turn a little bad. And c'mon, let's be honest. Aren't you at least a little proud of him?" She smiles and waits, knowing Dean was.

Dean looks down into his lap and lets the grin slowly creep across his face. "Maybe a little," he softly confirms and looks up to Lizzy. "I have been telling him he needs to get laid way more often. Maybe for once he listened to his much wiser, older brother."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure that's it," Lizzy mocks sarcastically.

"Hey," Lou greets while jumping into the back seat. "How we doing in here?"

"Peachy," Dean lightly says. "Where's Casanova?"

"Taking a moment," Lou says. "So what's the deal with you two? Never seen that side of each other?"

"Not really," Dean says.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, he's a little weirded out himself. And super embarrassed."

"That man has not a damn thing to be embarrassed about!" Lizzy exclaims while hurriedly turning around to face Lou. "No wonder you were so adamant about getting with him again. He has one of the biggest…"

"Ah, enough!" Dean yells while scrambling to get out of the car in time to avoid the very uncomfortable conversation the two girls were about to have. He really had no desire to hear about the size of Sam's… he can't even bring himself to finish the thought.

Dean starts walking toward the building when Sam walks out. They meet halfway across the grass and stand facing each other, neither speaking at first, and Sam does his best to avoid eye contact with his older brother.

"Dean, listen…" Sam finally begins, but gets interrupted by Dean.

"Sam, don't worry about it," he tells him. He hates seeing Sam so uncomfortable and awkward around him. It's that protective big brother thing kicking in again. "It's not a big deal."

"That's why you reacted so calmly?" Sam challenges him.

"So maybe I over reacted a little," Dean admits. "I just wasn't ready for what I saw. Wasn't prepared for all… that." Dean gestures up and down Sam's full height. Sam cracks his first very small smile.

"Yeah, well I wasn't exactly prepared to  _show_  you all that. Sorry, by the way."

"No need, Sammy. Actually, I'm proud of you. Really proud."

"Ha. You're proud of me for acting like you would... or did just yesterday?" Sam laughs at himself for being so worried at first. Of course Dean would love this.

"I did do the same thing, didn't I?" he asks, knowing full well the answer.

"You definitely did," Sam confirms. "And now I know we are both just a couple of easy targets around those two."

"Right?" Dean widens his eyes at the idea. "What the hell is it with those two? It's like we're freakin' helpless. I feel like I have a bulls-eye on my junk."

"Nice, Dean. And you are definitely helpless. Total lost cause, if you ask me. I on the other hand have more self-control than you do. I was able to hold out longer," Sam argues as they both take their time walking back to their car side by side.

"I'm not the lost cause, you're the lost cause," Dean tries to fight back, but he doesn't really have any ground to stand on. He did give in first… and he's pretty sure he will again too. In fact he looks forward to it.

"You are. You know you are," Sam responds. "Like I said before man, pussy-whipped."

"Shut up, Sam," Dean warns, to which Sam replies by making a whip-cracking sound.

They bicker a little more before getting into the Impala. Dean and Lizzy sit in the front, Lou and Sam in the back.

"Hey there Big Sam!" Lizzy delightfully greets.

"L, leave the kid alone," Dean warns before receiving an annoyed look from her in return.

"So what now, people?" Lou asks the car. "We know what we need to do, but how do we do it?"

"Good question," Sam says. "I have no leads on how to pick out the mother of all mothers."

"You call Bobby again?" Dean questions his brother.

"Not since yesterday," Sam replies.

"Worth a shot then," Dean says while getting out of the car. He pulls out his phone, leans against the hood of his baby, and hits speed dial number 2.

* * *

"Well, at least I know I'm still an idjit," Dean says while getting back into the car. Lou laughs at the nickname Bobby so fondly always calls Sam and Dean.

"He didn't have anything new for us?" Lizzy asks in a somber tone.

"He had a couple things. He's been going through some of his old books and said there isn't much more info that we don't already know," Dean explains. "He did mention something about the eldest Nixie always being surrounded by several others, as if being protected."

"That could help," Lou nods.

"Also he said he read somewhere about the strength of the bloodline. That when one dies, all other Nixie that are in that line can feel it, or something like that."

"Meaning that when we killed Riva and Brooke, it wasn't just their offspring that were affected?" Sam questions with distress. If that's true, they could be in some serious trouble.

"Exactly," Dean explains. "Every one that's older than them felt their deaths. So most likely Big Mamma knows that something's out there killing her kiddos."

Lizzy groans as she drops her head against the passenger headrest. "All this time, they've known something was up? They've know something was after their group?"

"So much for the element of surprise," Lou laments. "Do you think they know about us? Know we're here?"

"Crap," Sam says at the thought. "It  _has_  been really quiet around here."

"Oh man," Lizzy says while searching their surroundings through the passenger window. "How much would that suck? You think they're staking us out while we're staking them out?"

"Could be," Dean says. "Why don't we all just go back to the motel and figure this all out there. If those things know we're here then us being around will do no good. They'll stay away."

"Sounds good. C'mon Lizzy," Lou says. She doesn't want to hang around if their theory is true. It's a creepy feeling knowing that they might be the hunted this time around.

"See you two in a few minutes," Lizzy says to them as she gets out of the Impala and gets into her own car.

* * *

Dean and Sam are already grabbing weaponry from the trunk when Lizzy pulls up next to them. They are stocking themselves with whatever they think could help them out with the still partially unknown creatures. On the drive, the two brothers thought it would be best to hunker down in their room until they have a true plan of attack ready. If there was even a remote chance that something was following them then they needed to take any and all precautions to keep everyone safe.

"What's all this stuff for?" Lou questions while looking at the two stuffed full duffel bags on the ground behind the open Impala trunk.

"Precautionary measures," Sam says while closing the trunk. "If they know about us, then who's to say they haven't followed us?"

"Makes sense. Let us grab some stuff and we'll meet you up there. Still have the key?" Lou asks. Sam reaches into his back pocket, holds it up to answer her, and he and Dean head into the motel.

"So what do we do here?" Dean asks once they've made it to their room. Sam slides the key card into the door. "Salt everything and hope for the best?"

"I guess," Sam answers. "Though we don't even know if salt would work on them." He turns the knob and pushes the door open. "That's still just a theory."

"Salt doesn't work on us, darling."

Sam and Dean sharply turn to face where the unfamiliar female voice is coming from. Sitting at the table in their motel room is a tall, leggy woman they've never seen before. She's beautiful and all her perfect assets are fully on display. They both reach behind themselves and pull out their guns, aiming at the mystery woman. Dean quickly pulls his small salt bag out of his pocket and drops it to the hallway floor just outside the doorway. Lou and Lizzy are smart women so he hopes they'll take the warning for what it is.

"Who are you?" Dean demands in a booming voice as he and Sam step through the threshold.

"I believe you referred to me as the HBIC," she says. "The name's Tamesis. I thought I'd be nice and come pay you a visit."

"Well you just made our lives a hell of a lot easier," Sam says, ready to pull the trigger when his nose and mouth are covered over by a cloth and his arms are pinned to his sides. He frantically looks over to Dean who is in the same predicament, the woman behind him not much bigger than Lou but clearly strong enough to hold Dean in place.

Dean knows that smell. Chloroform. He struggles again the tiny arms that should be much weaker than they are. His vision starts getting dimmer and he knows what happens next. He hears the laughing voice of Tamesis as he slips onto the ground.

* * *

 


	12. The Little Mermaid is a Huge Bitch

* * *

The two girls walk in silence, a heavy bag slung over each one's shoulder, and begin walking down the hallway that their room in on. Halfway to their door Lou stops and stands still. Lizzy follows her, stopping in her tracks and becoming alarmed when she sees her friend's behavior.

"What?" Lizzy quietly asks.

"Something's wrong," Lou whispers. "Look." She points to the floor just outside of their room. They both see one of the satchels of salt they all had on them sitting off to the side of the door frame.

"One of them dropped it, so what?" Lizzy responds with trepidation. "They were carrying a lot of stuff."

"No way. They wouldn't be that careless. Not right now," Lou explains. "Something's definitely up. I can feel it." Lou's always had a strong sixth sense in certain situations. She takes out her favorite sawed-off and Lizzy once again follows suit and arms herself with her Glock. They both slowly and silently make their way to the door. Lizzy crosses to the other side, ducking under the scope of the peep hole, and they listen. It's quiet and they know it shouldn't be. They should hear movement and the voices of their boys. Instead, after a few moments they hear an unfamiliar voice from inside the room.

"Put them in the chairs," the female voice says. "Make sure they're secured. Those two bitches should be here soon enough. Probably on their way up right now."

"Shit," Lizzy mouths to Lou and Lou signals for her to follow. They both make their way back to the stairwell they'd just come through.

"What the fuck do we do?" Lizzy frantically asks.

"I don't fucking know!" Lou returns. "Clearly Sam and Dean are in there."

"So we're on our own here?" Lizzy asks in a panic, knowing full well that they are. "Shit, Louie. We've never dealt with anything this big before. Not just us two." Her starts pounding at the thought of the Winchester's lives being put into solely their hands.

"I know," Lou agrees. They've been small time for a long time. This is a whole new side to hunting that they haven't had to deal with yet and the fact that there are two lives at stake, two people who are highly important to them, at risk, just makes everything that much more terrifying.

"Alright, think," Lizzy says out loud, trying her best to calm down and kick her brain into gear. Fear had taken over for the few seconds it's been since they heard the unknown voice inside their room. She takes a deep breath and composes herself just enough to get the gears turning. "What can we do here?"

"Clearly salt doesn't work on these evil bitches," Lou states while taking the salt rounds out of her shotgun and replacing them with regular shells from her bag. "Neither Sam nor Dean would have dropped their salt by the door if they still thought it was a weapon."

"I agree," Lizzy says. "And those things know we're here because that voice said she thought we were on our way up."

"Could be our Momma," Lou hypothesizes with a little fright in the back of her throat.

"I'd say that's a good guess." Lizzy says while opening her own bag. She pulls out three knives. She drops the biggest one, her favorite hunting knife, down into her boot once more. Then she drops one of the smaller folding knives into her bra and the other up her left sleeve. After that she takes out a pair of brass knuckles and slips one around each hand. Blowing out a large breath she wasn't even aware she'd been holding, she informs her friend of what she's thinking. "Louie, I think one of us has to get in there. If neither of us shows up they will know something's wrong. That'll just put Dean and Sam in way more danger." She checks the rounds in her Glock, just to be double sure it's fully loaded, before replacing it into the back of her jeans. She takes out an extra clip from the bag and drops it into her other boot.

"It's risky though, Lizzy. We don't know much about them."

"Do we have any other choices here?" Lizzy questions with panic filled, pleading eyes to her friend. "We have to do something. We're risking their lives if we don't."

Lou nods her begrudging agreement. "Alright, but before we do that we need a plan and quick. I am not letting you go in there without some kind of strategy in place." With the way Lizzy just armed herself, Lou knows Lizzy is the one planning on going in and she's highly concerned for her safety.

"Ok, ok," Lizzy starts, calming her nerves a little more and scouring her brain for an idea. After a few quick seconds of frantic thinking, Lizzy zips up her bag and slings it back over her shoulder. "Alright, how about this…"

* * *

Sam is started awake when he inhales deeply and involuntarily. He blinks rapidly and lifts his head up from its slumped position on his chest. Sam tries to move but can't. He'd tied firmly in place to one of the chairs that used to be at the small round table, the chair he's spent hours in already doing research. Now it's facing the rest of the room with the back a couple feet from the wall. He hears the same deep breath he'd just done directly next to him and he looks to the right to see what makes the sound. It's Dean and he's tied up in the same way. Sam watches as the Nixie that took Dean down walks away from him, smelling salts in hand, and joins what he assumes is the Nixie that got him and the HBIC herself.

"How was the nap, gentlemen," Tamesis greets from the opposite side of the small room. She is standing with a lower Nixie to each side. Her arms are crossed and she looks mad.

"Dean, you ok?" Sam questions, ignoring the Nixie completely until he knows Dean is alright.

"Fine Sammy. You?"

"I'm ok," Sam replies.

"Isn't it cute how you look after each other like that," Tamesis comments sarcastically. "Just adorable. So, where are your two little whores, huh?"

"What whores?" Dean asks with anger, pretending not to know what the Nixie is talking about. This doesn't please her at all and in two long strides she is standing over Dean with a pissed off look. She leans forward, dropping a hand on each of his bound arms, and lowers herself until she is eye to eye with Dean, just inches from his face.

"Don't fuck with me, young man," she spits out. "I've been watching the four of you for some time now. I know all about you. You hunt things, things like me."

"Give the lady a prize, huh?" Dean jests while turning to Sam. The Nixie grabs Dean by the chin and jerks his head quickly back to focus on her once more.

"You're not half as funny as you think you are, Dean Winchester. You try too hard."

Dean feels the jump of panic in the pit of his stomach. These Nixie have done their research. They know who they are and what they're about. He has to wonder what else they know…

"Now tell me; where are Elizabeth and Louise?"

Hearing the head Nixie call his friends… no, family… by their full first names felt wrong. It makes the anger that was growing inside of Dean begin to boil immediately.

"Go to hell," he responds with ire. The Nixie releases her grip on Dean's face only to replace it with a serious blow to the jaw. Dean's head whips to the left with the impact and he grunts in pain.

"Watch your mouth," she warns before tuning to Sam while continuing to talk to Dean. "You wouldn't want your brother to fall under some kind of love spell again, would you?" She smiles and stands in front of Sam.

"Leave him alone," Dean practically growls out and tried to get himself free with no avail.

"Hey, I love a man with some feistiness to him. If you weren't so hooked on that foul-mouthed, hot headed little…"

"Watch it," Dean forewarns, his eyes growing dark with anger at the insult.

"Wow, easy boy," she soothes. "Vivian! Come shut him up for me."

The red headed Nixie steps forward and pulls out a handkerchief. She walks behind Dean and shoves the cloth into his mouth before tying it tightly behind his head. Dean's ability to talk is completely cut off now and he thinks he may never have been this angry in his life.

"Relax sugar," Vivian whispers in his ear and kisses his cheek. "I'll make you forget about that bitch you're so hooked on."

Everyone in the room hears it. The fire door from the hallway slams closed with a loud bang.

"Dori," the head Nixie quietly says while nodding to door. The blonde Nixie checks the peep hole.

"It's the dark haired one," she announces. Dean's eyes grow double in size with alarm. Lizzy. He doesn't want her in here. He can't help her if she comes in the room. Dread spreads through his chest and his heart beats faster than it ever has. He glances to Sam and sees the same panic within him.

"Well alright. Now we're talking," Tamesis says with excitement while tying a gag around Sam's mouth also. She walks back to the far wall she was previously near, the two lower-level Nixie joining. There they stand, out of immediate sight, waiting for Lizzy to join them.

* * *

Lizzy takes her time heading down the hall. She's trying to mentally prepare herself for what she's about to voluntarily walk into. She takes a deep breath once and stands in front of the door to their room. She makes a mental checklist of all her weapons on her and their locations one last time in an attempt to calm her overworked nerves. Dropping the key card into the slot and hearing the click, it alerts her that it's unlocked. Lizzy is very worried about this plan, but she is more than excited to kick some ass. No one messes with her Winchesters and gets away unscathed. She turns the doorknob and pushes, then drops the key onto the carpet outside of the room. It lands next to the salt satchel still there.

"Hey guys," she greets while pretending to look down into her open duffel bag. Really she in taking in the details of the room without being too obvious and she spots three sets of feet against the wall to her left. Ok, more than she'd hoped there would be, but not terrible. She can do this. "Lou ran to the diner to get us some food. I'm freakin' starving." She hears the muffled sound of Dean's voice and finally looks up. She sees the two of them tied to chairs and gagged.

"Oh shit," she says, feigning surprise. She keeps her sights on the direction of the two men's gaze. Sam is the first one to focus on something other than her and she knows now that something is coming up behind her. Lizzy knows what to do and she smiles slightly at them and winks, trying to let them know she's in on the whole ordeal. Dean sends her a confused look and watches as quickly, Lizzy drops her bag and turns, throwing her first punch based on sheer instinct. It lands squarely in the middle of Vivian's face, making the Nixie fall back and grip her nose.

Dean and Sam watch in absolute awe as Lizzy single handedly takes on the two Nixie henchwomen. Dean once again begins struggling against his bindings, but they don't budge. He's having a very hard time staying by and not helping her, even if he knows that he has no choice.

Lizzy throws more punches, her brass knuckles coming in very handy. Dori comes at her and Lizzy easily lands a one two punch combination that takes her down momentarily. Vivian, taking the opportunity of Lizzy changing her focus, tackles her. They both fall to the floor, Lizzy hitting her head on the ground as they do. Vivian sits atop her laid out body and begins working Lizzy over, punching her twice in the face and once very strongly in the ribs before Lizzy is able to free her large hunting knife from her boot. She punches Vivian in the nose once again with her brass covered hand, this time feeling the snap within her hand.

"Ah!" she shouts with the sharp pain. Vivian falls backwards off of Lizzy, gripping her face in agony and Lizzy rolls to her side, griping her right hand. She keeps her bearings and soon gets herself back on her feet. Lizzy stands over the flailing Nixie on the floor.

"Enjoy death, bitch," Lizzy quips and drives her knife into Vivian's chest. The Nixie yells out in torment and the shocked face Vivian shows gives warning of what is to come next.

Lizzy leaps back and the three humans watch as the green light within her begins to glow. Lizzy lets the spectacle capture her attention and she stands still while the light bursts from within Vivian's body and dissipates throughout the room. She loses focus for too long and the sound of both Sam and Dean's voices shouting to her through heavy cloth brings her back. There're attempting to warn her. She turns just in time to see the fist coming right towards her face. Dori's balled up hand crashes into Lizzy's chin, delivering an upper cut with superhuman force. Lizzy lifts slightly off of the ground and falls backwards through the air, dropping her favorite knife as she does. She lands on the edge of one of the beds, then bounces backwards off of it and slumps onto the floor.

"You water sluts are fucking strong," Lizzy comments from the carpet. She slowly stands, shaking her head to clear it after the force that rocked it just moments before. "Nice hit," she honestly compliments.

"Thanks," Dori returns.

"Too bad I have one thing you don't," Lizzy says while reaching behind her back. She pulls out her gun. "Artillery always wins," she tells Dori while holding the gun in her uninjured hand and pulling the trigger, shooting her directly between the eyes. Dori falls backwards and hits the floor not far from Sam's feet. Much like Vivian, the green light fills Dori. This time however, Lizzy doesn't let herself get distracted. She rushes over to the tied up men on the opposite side of the room. The green light explodes out of the dead Nixie when Lizzy is halfway across the room. She ignores it completely while reaching into her bra and retrieving the small knife hidden there.

"Not so fast," Lizzy hears an unfamiliar voice come from behind her and immediately she is pulled backward by her hair.

* * *

 


	13. Cat... Or is it Fish... Fight

* * *

Lou sprints across the parking lot, her bag clutched in one hand and the keys to Lizzy's Toyota in the other. She drops her bag by her feet and fumbles slightly with nerves before managing to get the keys into the lock and open the trunk. She lifts the flower-patterned blanket to expose their hidden weaponry. They really need to invest in getting a false bottom like the Impala, she briefly thinks. Lou grabs an old wooden box and shoves it into the bag before reaching for the 'big gun'. They both always assumed they'd never use the AK-47 they won in a game of pool at Harvell's Roadhouse. But here they were and Lou couldn't be happier that those two crazy hunters at the bar that night put up such a fine firearm in what became a truly high stakes game. Thank God Lizzy wasn't too bombed that night and was really on her A-game.

Lou takes the large gun and slings it over her shoulder by its strap. Sure, she's fired the thing a few times out back at Bobby's, but she's by no means a professional with it. She hopes she can pull this one off.

Slamming the trunk shut, she picks her bag up again. It's daylight, about noon by now, so she knows how bad it looks for her to be in front of a motel with a massive gun out in the open. Lou begins sprinting once more to the side door of the motel.

"Excuse me!" a young woman tries to get Lou's attention from where she is standing by the edge of the parking lot, right in front of the direction Lou is headed. Once Lou looks her over thoroughly, taking note of the long legs, she knows she's in trouble if she continues in this direction. Lou turns around, choosing to head towards the opposite side door on the other side of the building in order to avoid early confrontation.

"Louise Becker, it doesn't matter which was you go honey. We'll catch up." The Nixie smiles and starts walking swiftly towards her and Lou breaks into a sprint. She makes it around the corner and keeps running along the side of the building. Before she can reach the door, another Nixie steps out from the back corner. She halts and lifts the large rifle once she realizes she is surrounded.

"Alright, bitches.  Listen up," Lou begins while looking back and forth between the Nixie on either side of her. "I am making it to the side door, whether you like it or not. So get the fuck outta the way or... die."

* * *

While being pulled backwards by her hair toward an unseen assailant, Lizzy is able to keep her calm enough to toss the small and recently pulled out knife towards Dean and Sam. The knife lands in Sam's lap and he immediately works to loosen the rope around his wrist, enough to reach the blade that's just inches away from his hand, on his leg. Unfortunately, while focusing so much on the knife she lost her grip on her gun. It drops quietly onto the carpet by Dean's feet. If only he could reach it.

The eldest Nixie yanks Lizzy back to her, wrapping her fingers firmly around the long, dark tresses. She brings Lizzy to her, pulling her roughly until they are face to face. Lizzy tries her best to pull open the grip the woman had on her with the one good hand she had left, but there was nothing she could do. The grip is iron clad.

"Nice moves, Elizabeth Noonan," Tamesis says before throwing Lizzy into the headboard of the bed closest to where Dean is seated. Lizzy slams her back into the hard wood and rebounds, landing on the bed face down. She moves slowly at first, trying her best to will away the all-encompassing fire she feels everywhere. Dean, feeling more helpless than he ever has, is experiencing his own form of pain as the scene before him unravels. He watches as the Nixie takes her time, checking her hair in the reflection of the mirror above the bureau before walking to Lizzy. Once again gripping her by her hair, she lifts Lizzy's head in Dean's direction. Their eyes meet and immediately Lizzy sees the distress and heartache within them. She isn't sure what hurts more; Dean's internal anguish or her own physical pain.

"I don't like you, Elizabeth," Tamesis tells her. "Or should I call you L? You seem to respond well when he calls you that."

The ache of the abrupt contact with the solid furniture is slowly starting to ease up. Lizzy decides not to respond to the Nixie. She doesn't want to play into her game any more than she has to and she needs to take the time to recuperate her body enough to fight back once more. Lizzy is getting the distinct feeling that this half-baked plan isn't working out. Where the hell is Lou?

"Look at him over there, vulnerable and agonized over seeing you like this. So absolutely weak. It's God damned pathetic."

Lizzy's anger starts bubbling when she looks once more to the distressed man. Whoever this bitch is she's going down, Lizzy decides. She closes her eyes to focus and takes inventory of what she has left in her arsenal once more. A knife up her sleeve and two sets of brass knuckles still firmly in place, though with one hand broken it's more like one set. Not a whole lot.

"You know he's worthless to me, right? That you're ruined him for me?" Tamesis cuts in again. "Love is a real son of a bitch, and it's a shame. Normally Dean would be just my type."

"Too bad." Lizzy cuts, unable to keep quiet any longer. "I doubt he would've gone for you, you're not his type. He isn't all that into coldhearted bitches, sweetheart."

The Nixie leans down and whispers into Lizzy's ear, "I'm  _everyone's_  type,  _sweetheart_." Tamesis reaches to the carpet and clutches Lizzy's hunting knife in her free hand. She stands up straight and shoots Dean a grin filled with sheer malice.

"You have killed so many of my family members," she explains to him. "So many of my daughters. I feel like it's time to repay the favor, don't you?" Tamesis brings the blade to Lizzy's neck without ever losing eye contact with Dean.

Dean screams out through the gag, his exact words muffled but his emotions clear. He feels as though the cold silver is against his own neck. The ropes around his wrists burn his skin as he moves frantically against them

"Say goodbye to your little girlfriend, Dean."

"Stop!" The word booms out of Sam's mouth as he stands with Lizzy's Glock in his hands, aimed right at Tamesis' head. "Hurt her and you die right now!" Sam has managed to get the small knife that had been flung onto his lap into his hand and cut himself free.

Tamesis turns her head slowly to look at Sam. She'd neglected to keep an eye on him with all the action going on around her.

"Interesting turn of events we have here," Tamesis says evilly, her eyes lighting up even brighter than before as she's clearly not worried. "I think we're going to make this even more fun." She begins singing. It's not a song, no words, but her voice fills the room with a beautiful melody. Lizzy and Dean watch in horror as Sam slowly gets the same faraway look in his eyes they'd seen him have before.

* * *

Lou drags the unconscious Nixie into the bottom of the stairwell and drops her next to the other, also knocked out, Nixie already inside. They'd gotten into a bit of a struggle when the creatures didn't heed her warning, but Lou got the upper hand quickly, using her huge gun to crack them over the head. She quickly zip-tied their wrists and ankles and dragged them inside one at a time. She would have loved to shoot them right on the spot, but the sound of gunshots and bright glowing green lights would be too much of a show, especially midday. It would most likely gather them some unwanted attention.

Leaving the Nixie in a pile on the concrete floor, Lou races up the stairwell two flights and walks into the hallway. She can already see the key card on the floor and, just like before, she slowly and quietly creeps her way to the door. Picking up the key, Lou puts her ear to the door and hears singing. Not good, she thinks. Not good at all. She prays Sam had the fortitude to pop his earplugs in. Lou drops to the floor and opens her bag, frantically loading the AK-47 with the specialty bullets she and Lizzy prepared a few months back out of curiosity and experimentation. Time to find out if they work or not.

* * *

Sam slowly lowers the Glock in his hand. He's mesmerized by the beautiful woman singing to him. She's his everything and he wants nothing more than to please her. It takes only seconds for his infatuation to completely set in. The gun slides out of his hands and thuds softly back onto the carpet at his feet.

"God damn it," Lizzy breaths out, knowing just how bad the situation is about to get. Dean does his best to yell to his brother. He wasn't able to snap Sam out of it last time but he tries anyways, even with the handkerchief impeding his efforts. It does nothing and Sam stays firmly under the Nixie's spell.

"Samuel," Tamesis sings to him. "Come here, sweetie."

Sam's feet are in motion before she fully gets the command out. He stands by her side and waits like an obedient dog.

"Here," Tamesis bids while handing Sam the hunting knife. He takes it up happily.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Lizzy asks the Nixie, growing frightened with the turn of events.

"I love you, Samuel," Tamesis tells the tall man standing next to her. She reaches a hand to cup the side of Sam's face. "Do you love me?"

"Yes," Sam says while melting into her hand, his eyes fluttering shut for just a moment with the contact.

"Would you do anything for me?"

"Yes."

Dean screams until his voice starts to give out. This cannot happen. He can't watch what is about to play out in front of him.

"Sam, don't listen to her!" Lizzy panics. "Don't give in to that bitch!"

Tamesis lands a balled fist into Lizzy bottom lip. "Don't interrupt," she fiercely directs Lizzy, never loosening her grip on her long dark hair. "Now Sam, I need you to do something for me. I need you to drag that knife across Lizzy's throat for me."

"No! Sam! Don't do it!" Dean suddenly shouts. He finally, after struggling for so long, managed to get the cloth out of his mouth just enough to be heard. "Sam! Don't listen to her!"

Sam continues to ignore all others except Tamesis. He leans forward and angles the knife against the side of Lizzy's neck. Lizzy, consumed by fear, can't help but think of what this will do to Sam if he goes through with it.

"You have to tell him it isn't his fault," Lizzy pleads Dean. "This wasn't his fault! Dean, please! Make sure Sam knows that!" She's about to die and once again someone else's welfare is her top priority.

"You fucking bitch!" Dean screams to the evil woman controlling the horrible actions in front of him. He ignores what Lizzy asks of him because hearing her is like counting her as already dead to him.

"And Samuel," Tamesis adds. "When you do it, look your brother in the eye."

Sam's vacant eyes meet Dean's tear-filled ones and he pauses.

"Please Sammy," Dean cries out, tears breaking over the edges of his lids. "Please…don't do this. You can't kill her."

Sam returns Dean's cries with the same grin he'd given Dean out on the dock. It's cold and bare.

"Sammy," Dean sobs one last time as Sam grips tighter to the knife.

The door suddenly bursts open, slamming loudly into the wall behind it, and reveals Lou, enormous shotgun ready and aimed at Tamesis.

"Tell him to drop the knife," Lou orders Tamesis. "Now!"

"You think a regular old bullet will kill me?" the Nixie taunts. "Please. I'm way too strong for that." She winks at Lou with confidence.

"A regular bullet, no," Lou responds. "But these bullets while level your ass."

"Bullshit," the Nixie calls.

"You willing to take that chance, darling?" Lou challenges. "Tell him! Now!"

"Drop the knife, honey," Tamesis commands and Sam follows. "Happy now?"

"Sure am," Lou says as she pulls the trigger. The bullet, etched with powerful occult symbols, strikes Tamesis in the heart. She's pushed backwards with the force and falls onto the bed next to Lizzy. Her body begins violently convulsing and the three coherent hunters in the room watch with fear. Lizzy, now released from Tamesis' grip, leaps off of the bed and runs to Dean, immediately pulling out the knife still stashed in her sleeve and cutting away his bindings. The green colored light begins glowing very brightly, illuminating the room.

Lou runs over to Sam, who's still looking out of it. She grabs his shoulders and shakes as hard as she can. "Sam!" she shouts. "Sam! Damn it, come back to me here dude! We gotta go!"

Once he's freed, Dean jumps up and runs to Sam.

"Sammy!" Lou slaps him hard in the face to jostle him enough to get him back. Sam looks away from Tamesis for the first time since she'd been shot but remains silent. He focuses on Dean and wrinkles his brow, as if trying to remember who he is.

"Fuck this," Dean says while pulling Sam out the door. If Sam wasn't going to move himself, he would do it for him.

Lizzy runs around the room, gathering their important things. She grabs her hunting knife, her leather bomber jacket, and their journal. Lastly, she reaches to the floor for her Glock.

"Jesus Lizzy! Let's go!" Lou hooks her arm around Lizzy's and yanks her out before she can reach her favorite gun as the green light coming from Tamesis begins pulsating. They make it to the hallway before an explosion rips through the room they had been in just seconds before. Lizzy and Lou are tossed to the opposite wall. After slamming into the drywall, they fall to the ground and Lizzy crawls on top of Lou, doing her best to protect her from the blast as debris begins covering over them.

Dean had managed to get Sam into the side stairway when the explosion happens. Almost immediately after the boom spreads through the building, Sam comes to.

"What the hell?" he asks while looking around his surrounding, confused as to what just happened. Last he knew he was pointing a gun at Tamesis.

"Lizzy!" Dean shouts as he climbs back up the few stairs he'd already descended. He has no idea what just rocked the concrete stairs but he'd finally thought they were out in the clear and Lizzy was safe. Now his dread-filled emotions flood back into him.

Dean bursts through the hallway door, Sam on his heels, to see the hallway partially destroyed and the wall to their room no longer existing. There are piles of drywall and furniture littering the area.

"L!" Dean frantically yells as he runs to the piles and begins lifting debris in his search. "Lizzy!"

"Over here!" he hears her yell out. A few feet away he sees her tattooed arm rise above the drywall chunks to flag him over. Sam and Dean rush over and pull the wreckage off of the women. They tug them to their feet and once up Lizzy gathers her items and immediately starts walking swiftly for the stairway.

"We gotta get out of here!" she warns. "Took the important stuff! Let's go!"

The three hunters rush behind her and follow her out into the parking lot. They pile into their respective vehicles and begin driving to the nearest highway as the several police cars and fire trucks fly past them and toward the now very damaged motel.

* * *

 


	14. She Earned the Good Kind of Scotch

* * *

Lou and Sam coordinate a destination over the phone while Dean drives his car and Lou drives the Toyota. During the trip, Lou tries to get Lizzy to talk but Lizzy opts to stay quiet, a first for the usually talkative woman. She keeps her hand wrapped in an ice pack lying in her lap while training her attention on the trees and signs passing by the passenger side window. The only time she looks away is to turn around and make sure the black Impala is close behind.

"How's the hand?" Lou asks, desperate to do whatever she can to get Lizzy talking. Lizzy always needs to talk things out in order to sort them through and get past them. Her silence is nerve-racking.

"Hurts like a son of a bitch," Lizzy responds without looking away from the passing scenery.

"Broken?"

"Most definitely."

"Must've been one hell of a hit then."

"Gave that bitch a nose job," Lizzy jests, but her tone is somber despite what she says. Lou can tell Lizzy has no intension of continuing the conversation any further.

"Lizzy, can you please talk to me here?" Lou finally begs. "You're scaring me. You never stay this quiet."

"What the hell do you want me to say?" Lizzy asks as she once more glances out the back windshield for reassurance.

"You could start by telling me what happened in there," Lou says.

"I'll tell you when we get there. I'm sure Bobby'll want to know. No need going through all of it twice."

"Lizard, you gotta open up here. You almost…"

"I know," she interrupts in a whisper. Lizzy mind flashes to Dean's panicked and sorrow filled eyes and it's all she can see. She's not ready to talk, not yet. "I can't."

Lou wrinkles her brow in concern. "Ok." She lets Lizzy sit quietly for the remainder of the four hour drive but makes sure there is a continual stream of Lizzy's favorite music quietly playing.

* * *

"Dean, I have to know," Sam asks of his brother while turning down the volume of the AC/DC album. "What the hell happened back there?"

Neither man had talked very much for the first leg of the trip. They are exhausted and emotionally drained. Sam knows something bad happened in the motel, he can feel it, and sadly he only remembers some of it. Dean needs to connect the dots for him.

"You don't want to know, Sammy." Truthfully, Dean didn't want to have to tell Sam what he'd done while under the Nixie's spell. It was too fresh, too painful, and he knows how torn up Sam will be once he knows. He wants to keep him protected from the horrible reality of it all.

"I get the feeling I  _need_ to though," Sam says back. He's sensed that he might have done something wrong or hurtful ever since he's come-to in the motel stairwell.

Dean sighs heavily as he replays the horrific situation in his head. Sam almost killed Lizzy. Right before his eyes. He'd felt the world crashing down around him and it was all done at the hand of his little brother.

"I thought you said Lou got you earplugs?" Dean questions Sam with grit.

"She did," Sam confirms.

"Then why didn't you use them!" Dean snaps, letting the situation get the better of him. He's angry and needs a whipping boy to take it out on. Sam will do just fine.

"What?" Sam questions incredulously. "Are you joking? When do you suppose I should've put them in, before or after I was tied to a freakin' chair?"

"I don't know! And no, I'm definitely not joking! How could you let that happen again, huh! You nearly… you… fuck! You could have really hurt someone back there!"

"What the hell are you talking about!" Sam's anger grows and he balls up his fists at his sides with the fury. He's being blamed for something he doesn't even remember. "You gotta tell me, Dean! You can't just yell at me for something I don't even know I did!"

"You almost killed her, Sam! Alright! You almost killed Lizzy! Right the fuck in front of me!" Dean's knuckles turn white with his grip on the wheel.

It feels as though someone drove a knife through Sam's heart with the revelation. It can't be true. No. He would never do anything to hurt either of those girls. They've been so good to him and Dean. They're like family. Yet Dean's voice is on repeat, playing over and over in his mind.  _You almost killed Lizzy._ How could this have happened?

"What do you mean?" Sam very quietly asks.

"That bitch had you by the balls, dude. Sammy left us and joined team fucking mermaid," Dean fires out. "She told you to take Lizzy's knife and slit her throat. And you almost did."

Sam clenches his jaw as a litany of emotions wash over him; fear, anxiety, ire, sorrow, guilt.

"You're lucky Lou came in when she did," Dean adds. "If she hadn't offed that evil wench when she did, Lizzy wouldn't be in that car in front of us right now."

"Jesus," is all Sam manages as he looks down into his lap. How could this have happened?

"Look, I know it wasn't your fault, ok?" Dean says. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. You couldn't control it. I just, I had to watch the whole thing. It was… bad."

"Doesn't make what I did any better," Sam tells him.

" _You_  didn't do any of it, Sammy. Tamesis did it.  _Not you_." Dean tries his best to reassure Sam, but he knows it's a worthless attempt. Sam holds onto guilt with a ferocious grip, one of the few things they have in common.

"I could never live with…" Sam begins.

"I know."

Dean knows when to leave Sam be and now is one of those times. He drops a sympathetic hand on Sam's shoulder to show his support and for the rest of the ride they stay quiet. An hour later Dean turns onto the familiar gravel driveway behind Lou. Sam and Lou decided it was best to go somewhere comforting and safe and there was no place more comforting and safe to the four than Singer Salvage Yard.

* * *

Lou brings the car to a halt and Lizzy barely waits for the tires to stop rolling before she pushes the car door open and leaps out. Dean parks directly behind her and throws open his car door, scrambling out as fast as possible. Lizzy wastes no time and breaks into a full sprint to get to Dean as quickly as possible. She practically crashes into him and the two embrace each other tightly. Lizzy begins sobbing the moment she's safely wrapped up in his arms, letting the weight of everything finally hitting her. Her hand grips at the back of Dean's old leather jacket desperately and she gives in to how close she came to no longer being able to wrap her arms around him and how gut-wrenching it had been to watch Dean view the whole ordeal helplessly.

Dean's eyes well up also as Lizzy begins to shake in his arms with her guttural sobs. He realizes how lucky he is to have her right now. He'd almost lost her for good. She came within seconds of dying horribly right in front of him and there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't stand the thought of going on with his life after seeing that. He's not sure he could.

"I'm sorry," Dean says to her. "L, I'm so sorry." He needs to apologize for everything. For not knowing better and walking right into danger. For not being able to help her. For his brother being the one to almost murder her. For everything she just experienced. He wants more than anything to change things and make it so she never went through it all.

"Shut up," Lizzy tells him and continues weeping against the man she loves. His words mean nothing to her right now. He did nothing wrong and has nothing to apologize for. It was horrifying and all she needs right now is this. To have him there, to feel him against her, and to know she's still alive.

Sam slowly gets out of the Impala, unsure of what to do. He watches Lizzy weep against Dean and the burden pressing down on him gets heavier. There's nothing he can say to make this better.

Lou stands by Sam's side and takes his hand in hers. Sam feels her hand but doesn't feel the support she's trying to give him. The tears begin sliding down his cheeks as the all-consuming guilt fills him. He did this to Lizzy. He's the reason she's torn and completely broken right now.

Lizzy backs away from Dean and searches for Sam. She can only imagine how badly he feels right now and she needs to make it better. She can't have him placing any blame on himself, he did nothing wrong. When she turns around she practically feels her heart tearing in two when she sees Sam. The tears falling and his face sagging with his internal anguish, she jogs over to him immediately. Reaching up and wiping away the teardrops first, she pulls him down and encircles his neck with her arms.

"Don't do this to yourself," she whispers into his ear, her voice still labored with sobs. "It wasn't you. It's ok."

Sam says nothing in return, just stays where he is and finds what little relief he can in her words. Knowing she doesn't place blame on him helps. Lizzy pulls back from him and runs her uninjured hand along his forehead and down the side of his face.

"This changes nothing, you hear me? You're still my gentle giant. I trust you with my life, Sam-I-Am. That'll never, ever change. I know who you really are and that wasn't you."

Dean takes in what Lizzy says to Sam and once again he's absolutely floored by the strength she exudes. She's supposed to be the one needing the extra support and love right now, but instead she's completely consumed with caring for those around her. She shows Sam such love and it touches him. Her heart is the biggest he's seen and he vows to himself in the moment that he will ever let himself lose her.

"I thought I taught you dummies better," Bobby comments while staring straight at Lizzy. She's seated directly across from him with Lou on her right and Dean on her left. Sam is standing behind them, leaning against the kitchen counter. Because Bobby demanded it after he walked out to his driveway and saw the shape the young hunters were in, the four are attempting to fill him in on what happened. It takes a whole lot to make a Winchester cry, so Bobby knows something major must have gone down when both Sam  _and_  Dean had tear streaked cheeks.

"You taught us to look out for each other and to save as many people as possible," Lizzy rebuts timidly. "We couldn't leave them in there alone. She would have eaten them alive, especially Sam." She's angry that Bobby would even hint that Lizzy did the wrong thing, but the argument comes out in a small and gentile tone. She's emotionally drained from everything and doesn't have the strength to really fight back with Bobby. It doesn't matter to her anyways because she knows what she did was the right thing.

"It's true Bobby," Dean cuts in. "We really got ourselves in a mess this time. Lizzy did what she thought was best." He reaches to her hand on the table and grasps it in his, trying to give her as much strength as possible. She did the right thing, Dean knows it.

"And what did it get ya'?" Bobby challenges. "You almost got killed! You could be dead right now, followed most definitely but these two idjits! Lizzy, it was a half-cocked idea at best."

"And we only had a couple minutes to work something out. Half-cocked was the best anyone in this room would have come up with in the situation," Lou spits, getting enraged with Bobby's insinuation that Lizzy was reckless. "We weren't left with many options and I think what Lizzy did was heroic to say the least." Lou reaches for Lizzy's forearm, avoiding her swollen hand, and gently grips it.

"Heroic, huh? Is it heroic to think you can take on three powerful creatures that you barelyknow a damn thing about?" Bobby remains upset. He thinks that he's going to be in a constant state of fright every time these women go on a hunt now. They need to learn when something is too much for them to handle.

"Bobby, go easy on her," Sam breaks in from his spot. "If you had been there, I don't think you'd be mad at her. You'd be in total awe instead." Sam walks up behind Lizzy and drops his hands onto her shoulders. She's now surrounded by her new and very small family, showing their support in any way they can. It feels good knowing how loved she is and she lets out one very tiny smile.

"Yeah, Bobby," Dean adds. "Whatever you did training this one, you did it right. She was awesome." Dean rubs his thumb along her palm. He's proud of her.

"Well clearly I had to be there," Bobby finally gives in. "You got everyone sticking up for ya' Lizzy. And from the sound of it, you kicked some serious ass young lady." Bobby pauses for a moment. "I don't mean to be a hard ass here. It's just you girls just worry me. I worry all the damn time 'bout ya'. Still, I'm proud of ya' kid."

"Thanks Bobby," Lizzy responds in a low and choked up voice. Hearing him say he was proud of her tugs at her heart strings. She hadn't heard anything like it in years, not since she'd last seen her father.

"God damn, you're gonna turn my hair completely white soon," Bobby continues to Lizzy. "Sometimes you shoot first and ask questions later, not unlike some other morons in this room." He glances over to Dean, making it clear just who he is talking about. "But you were under pressure and a very small time limit. You did the best ya' could and saved some hides. I'm just happy the four of ya' are all here and in one piece," Bobby comments while standing up. Walking across the kitchen, he reaches into a cabinet for four glasses and a bottle of cheap whiskey. He places the glasses on the table, fills them with the liquor, and distributes them. He leaves the last glass in his own empty place at the table and skips over Lizzy before returning to the cabinet. He retrieves one more glass and the bottle of Lagavulin the girls had so generously given him four months ago.

"Ya' earned something a little more than six day old turpentine," Bobby explains to Lizzy as he pours her a glass from the nearly empty and expensive bottle of top notch booze.

"Bobby, we bought that for you," she explains while trying to stop him from giving away the precious gift she and Lou presented him.

"Yeah, and I can do whatever I want with it," Bobby says annoyed as he slides the cup over to her. "So drink up. I haven't given anyone else any of this stuff and I don't plan to ever again." He winks at her and Lizzy smile back at the gesture.

The five clink glasses and take their sips. Their muscles are worn, minds tired, and spirits nearly broken. It was a long forty-eight hours and the young hunters are more than happy to be in one of their only safe havens on Earth.

* * *

Lizzy pulls on her oversized sweatpants and her usual white wife-beater tank. She slides her arms into her favorite sweatshirt and takes in the warm feeling that she's left with after the steaming hot shower, her muscles enjoying the soothing heat. It feels like everyone around her is catering to her every whim, so when she mentioned she'd love to take a long hot shower, no one argued. She gathers her things together, tosses everything in her bag, and heads out the door.

She makes her way to the bedroom she had stayed in the last time she slept at Bobby's. It's the same room in which she had first experienced really being with Dean. She smiles at the memories as she pushes the door open.

"Hi," Dean greets from his seated position on the bed. It's as if he knew she had been thinking about him and she is pleasantly surprised to find him there. He's sitting on the edge of the foot of the mattress, waiting for her to come up and find him.

"Hey," she smiles to him while dropping her things on the floor and walking towards him. She stands between his legs and wraps her arms around his neck, bringing him close. They stay this way for some time. It's a soothing place, warm and indescribably good. Lizzy loosens her embrace and takes a seat on Dean's right thigh but keeps her arms around him.

"Feeling better?" he asks.

"Much," she admits. "It's kinda nice having everyone suck up to me. I should save your asses more often."

Dean laughs a little at the joke. "Thank you for that."

"Any time."

"I mean it. Sam and I were up shit creek without a friggin' boat and if you didn't do what you did… we owe you big time." Dean runs his fingers gently across the red and swollen spot on her chin left by the mean uppercut Dori dealt and examines the damage.

"Well, I'm sure I'll find a way to call in a favor at some point," she smiles out as Dean runs his thumb across her bottom lip that has grown slightly fatter.

"I don't doubt that," he smiles in return.

"All I keep thinking is I just wish things didn't get as far as they did," Lizzy starts, referring to Sam's almost homicidal actions. "I don't want Sam to be affected by all that. And being forced to watch your face reacting through the whole thing... it was awful."

"Seeing that, not being able to move or help…" Dean begins saying and then pauses. Time to grow a pair, Winchester. He inhales deeply. "I couldn't deal with it. Seeing you nearly slip away from me, I wouldn't be able to cope with that loss. Already lost enough. That would have been more than I could get past."

"Honestly, if Lou didn't save the day like she did I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have to find a way to deal. You would have been joining me for a nice long dirt nap yourself."

"You're probably right." Dean nods as he looks down at the floor. The idea of Lizzy dying is still haunting him. His imagination has run with it all day and his life without her in it was not something he wants. "I don't want to be without you. I... need you."

"Wow," Lizzy comments, eyebrows lifted and shock planted firmly on her face.

"It's true. You make me… I don't know. I'm better when I'm with you. You make me feel good about myself. With you I'm actually happy and I'm never really happy so that's saying something."

"Well I'm impressed, Hot Shot," Lizzy compliments. "That took a lot of balls for you to say." She smiles warmly at him, pleased to see that she might be rubbing off on him. He's getting better at the whole speaking from the heart thing.

"I'm glad you understand that," Dean smirks out before placing an innocent kiss on her lips. She's so understanding and that is something he'll always need. He'll never be an easy person to handle so it's very good that she's patient.

"Well I am going to up the ante a little here," she forewarns while cupping his face with her left hand. She runs her fingers along the stubbly skin at his jawline. "You and I both know what the Nixie said and I think she's right. You like me a lot." Dean chuckles when he hears Lizzy say this like Lloyd from 'Dumb and Dumber'.

"She didn't lie," Dean nods, not able to say much more past that.

"Well then... Dean Winchester, you really fucked things up for me, didn't you?"

He wrinkles his brow in confusion with her change in tone. In return she kisses him deeply before separating their lips.

"I'm used to being in my own little bubble," she begins explaining. "In my bubble it's just Lou and me. It's easy and we know each other so well and I love her to the very end. I never worry about anything besides making sure she's well protected and that we save some people now and then. But now…" She stops and sighs, looking down and playing with the buttons on his navy blue shirt. "Now my bubble, my whole little world, looks completely different."

"How is it so different," Dean asks, watching as her fingers playfully button and unbutton his shirt.

"It's grown," she tells him matter-of-factly. "You and Sam are now in it. The past four months I've wondered several times a day where you were, if you were hurt, and when I would get to see you again. You occupy my mind more than I'd care to admit, honestly. And," she looks up into the green eyes that are lovingly looking back. "I _am_ infatuated with you, as Brooke so kindly put."

"Ah, I believe she was talking about me," Dean reminds her. " _I'm_ the infatuated one, remember?"

"Yes I do. I just wanted you to know it's a two way street. I really care about you, Dean."

Dean runs his hand through her hair. "I really care about you too, Lizzy."

Neither say the scary word, the big L-word. Lizzy avoids it for now, afraid to scare him once more. She wrote it in her letter to him months ago and never spoke of it again. She thinks it's best to wait him out and let him say it first. Dean is afraid of the word still. It's going to take a lot for him to step over that line one day. Both are certain it's exactly what they have, however. They're totally, head over heels crazy for each other and the feeling isn't disappearing any time soon.

"So since it's the night of being way too nice to Lizzy because she is so freakin' awesome, here's what I request," Lizzy tells him. "I want to eat way too much pizza, I want to get bombed on whiskey, and I want to sleep until noon tomorrow."

"Sounds like a hell of a plan," Dean responds with a smile and another quick kiss.

"And after I wake up around noon, I don't plan on ever getting out of this bed for the rest of the day." She winks at him, hoping he catches onto what she is saying.

"Really?" Dean slyly asks while wrapping his arms around her.

"Mmhmm," she returns with a devilish grin.

"I have absolutely no problems with that."

* * *

 


	15. Squeeze My Lemon

* * *

"This... was a great idea," Dean tells her while placing a trail of kisses down her neck.

"I'm never leaving this bed.  Ever," Lizzy says to him while she runs her hands through his short blonde hair. He makes his way, kissing her smooth skin lower and lower on her body, stopping to drop a peck on each scar.  He slips under the sheets a little more with every kiss lower.

They have been a scarce sight since the night before when Dean had to carry a very drunk Lizzy to bed. Sometime around 11:30 AM the whole house heard 'Led Zeppelin I' begin playing very loudly from the second floor. It's now 3:45 and they've made it nearly through 'Physical Graffiti' with not much more than a couple bathroom breaks.

"Dean!"

They both hear Sam's voice on the other side of the closed wooden door. Dean looks up to Lizzy who rolls her eyes in frustration.

"Shhh. Be quiet and maybe he'll go away," Dean explains, continuing his work with a false sense of hope. He makes it to Lizzy's hipbone, running his tongue along the ridge, and she sighs out quietly with joy.

"C'mon Dean, I know you can hear me!"

"Go away, Sam!" Dean threatens. He and Lizzy had been taking their time and having plenty of fun alone all day so far. It's what Lizzy asked for and who was he to deny her what she wanted?  He centers himself between her legs and hooks an arum under each thigh.

"Seriously dude, you've been in there all day!" Sam shouts.

"Sam, I swear if you don't leave right now I will kill you myself!" Lizzy shouts. Dean looks up at her with surprise. "What? I seriously want to see where this is going," she admits, referring to Dean's current actions.  Jokingly he licks his lips and lowers his head.

"Dude, Bobby asked me to come get you. Wants to talk to you," Sam says.

"Jesus," Dean complains while getting up from the one place he wants to be.

"No, no no," Lizzy complains, his mouth was just an inch from her and now he's getting out of bed.

"Don't move," Dean warns, eyebrow arched.

A few second later Dean opens the door in a pair of sweatpants. "What's going on?" he questions Sam.

"Uh," Sam looks past Dean and sees Lizzy lying in bed, propped up on her elbows with the bed sheet on top of her. It's the only thing covering her up. Her hair is disheveled but her bright smile is a welcoming sight.

"Hey Big Sam!" she yells out to him, using the flattering yet embarrassing new nickname she's created for him. "How you doing today?"

"Apparently not as well as you," he jokes.

"Well, you're always welcome to join in on the fun my friend. Lou has told me some things. I feel like I'm missing out."

"Gross, L" Dean turns to face her and gives her a disgusted look. She shrugs her shoulders.

"What? It was worth a try wasn't it?"

Dean's starting to think this chick might be more sex crazed than even him. Awesome.

"Bobby wants to talk to you," Sam reminds Dean.

"What about?" Dean questions. It better be good to pull him away from the perfect day he had going.

"I don't know man, but remember this is his place and you're kinda abusing it. Better do what the old man says," he tells his older brother.

"Alright," Dean whines as he picks up a t-shirt from the floor.

"Nice," Lou shouts as she runs down the hall after spying the open bedroom door, elated that she has the chance to finally see Lizzy. She turns the corner and nearly runs straight into Dean as he was about to put his shirt on. "Well, hello there," Lou swoons as she runs her hand down Dean's bare front. "Love a man with some serious abs," she winks before running and jumping onto the bed with Lizzy.

"Morning Louie!" Lizzy jokes, knowing morning has long past.

"What's up, you giant slut?" Lou smacks Lizzy on the upper arm. "Stinks like sex in here." Lizzy lets out a loud laugh at the comment.

"I'll leave you two alone," Dean says as he walks out the room and down the hall. Those two make him uncomfortable sometimes and the conversation he's sure they were about to have would not be enjoyable for him. His ears will be burning for the next few minutes though. He's sure of it.

* * *

"Hey there Bobby," Dean greets when he walks into the kitchen and sees the man sitting with a cup of coffee and a newspaper at the kitchen table. Walking to the counter, Dean grabs a coffee mug and pours himself a cup.

"Good to know you're still alive," Bobby remarks. Sam takes a seat at the table with Bobby, knowing where this conversation was about to go. He wants to be there for Dean and help him out. He might need it.

"Oh I'm alive Bobby," Dean answers. "Never felt so alive in my damn life. Coffee Sammy?" Sam nods and Dean pours one more mug then sits down, passing one cup to his brother.

"That's exactly what I am worried about." Bobby puts the newspaper down and focuses on Dean.

"You're worried that I'm doing well?" Dean questions, unsure why Bobby would be perturbed to see him smiling for once.

"No. I'm worried about the woman you've been holed up with in one of  _my_  upstairs rooms."

Dean looks down at his coffee mug. He should have seen this coming.

"Look, you don't need to worry about Lizzy. We've got something good going, Bobby…"

"And how long before you decide you're done with this somethin' good? How long before ya' find another girl to take her place for the night? Dean, ya' ain't really the one woman type. I think ya' know that, son."

"I know that," Dean replies in a louder voice than he'd intended. He's getting irritated with what Bobby is assuming of him, but at the same time in any other situation he knows Bobby would be right.

"Dean," Sam warns, trying to keep things at an even level. Bobby had taken the day to grill Sam about what was going on between the two of them. Sam did his best to tell Bobby about what he's seen from Dean in the past couple months, but he remained concerned. Bobby really has taken a shine to Lou and Lizzy. For the first time Sam can remember Bobby wasn't in their side, he was on someone else's. It is an uncomfortable place to be to say the least.

"That girl up there is a good girl. She doesn't deserve the heartache, boy. You better knock this off before it gets any deeper."

"Doubt that's possible," Dean mumbles to himself while bringing the mug to his lips for a sip.

"What's that?" Bobby asks in an annoyed voice.

"C'mon Bobby," Sam interrupts. "I already told you before. It's different this time. Dean's different this time."

"Thanks, Sam," Dean grins in thanks.

"Like I'm gonna listen to you," Bobby tells Sam. "You two lie like rugs for each other all the time."

"We do," Sam agrees. "But I'm not lying, Bobby. Dean's been on his best behavior since they've met. Honestly."

"See," Dean tips his cup towards Bobby before taking another sip.

"I swear to you, Dean, don't mess with her. You break her heart and she'll kick your ass good. And if she doesn't, I will."

"You know, it's so nice to hear what a great freakin' reputation I have around here," Dean quips with anger. "I mean, you know me Bobby. And yeah, I've been a certain way for a long time. But I am telling you this time is different."

"This time is different, huh?" Bobby asks unbelieving.

"Yes it is. And I'd appreciate you believing me," Dean raises his volume again with his growing anger.

"What's so freakin' different then, huh?" Bobby challenges Dean. "What changed?"

"I love her! That a good enough reason for you?" Dean nearly shouts across the table. He quickly realizes what he's said and after showing the sheer shock of it on his own face, he quiets himself. Sighing loudly, Dean washes a frustrated hand across his face and drinks the remainder of his coffee in a few fast gulps.

"Well I'll be damned," Bobby says in awe of the admission. Dean has never been one to speak of his emotions so Bobby's taken aback when Dean makes his feelings well known. Bobby turns to Sam who gives him a knowing look. Sam's assumed this to be true for a long time now. Hearing it is no surprise to him. Either way this is a big moment in Dean's life. He's growing up… finally.

"You trying to tell me Cupid shoved his arrow right up yer ass?" Bobby questions with a hint of skepticism.

Dean shoves out of his kitchen chair with the question and places his used mug loudly in the kitchen sink. He hunches over for a second, gripping the edge of the sink and letting his frustration get the best of him before he turns around with all intentions of leaving the room as quickly as possible. When he does he comes face to face with the man he looks to as a father. Dean's anger-filled reaction was unexpected for Bobby. He stands before the younger man and grabs hold of his shoulders.

"It takes a lot for a man like you to admit something like that, son," Bobby tells him. It's his way of sending a small, hesitant apology. He may believe what Dean tells him, but only time with prove if his intentions are truly good.

"No shit," Dean returns, avoiding eye contact with Bobby.

"Don't fuck this up," Bobby slowly drawls out. "She's a good one, and good for ya'. You better do right by her."

"Thanks, I think," Dean says awkwardly and marches off to the stairs. He's still mad at Bobby for making him reach such a point and he's mad at himself that the first time he said something so profound about Lizzy he didn't even say it to her.

The door of the bedroom is still open when he reaches it and he sees that Lou remains on the bed. She's lying on her stomach next to Lizzy, kicking her legs in the air and laughing. Those two were completely inseparable, he thinks. Every possible waking minute they have free they spend on each other. Now that's true love. He's pretty sure he will always come in second to Lou, but for some reason he's more than ok with that.

"Welcome back," Lizzy greets while still laughing at something Lou had said. "What did the big man want?"

"Nothing important," Dean lies.

"Well, I'll just let you two get back at it," Lou playfully says while getting up from the bed. "I'm gonna throw something together for dinner later. Care to join the waking world sometime around sixish?"

"Definitely!" Lizzy responds as Lou heads for the door.

"Lou, you could always stick around for a bit, you know. Have some fun with us?" Dean tries, mostly to get back at Lizzy for extending an invite to his brother earlier but partially with some false hope. Lou looks up at Dean with a grin.

"Share a dude with Lizzy?" she asks. "Nah, I already told her before that I wasn't gonna do that again." Lou giggles at the very surprised look on Dean's face before walking past him. She stops in the doorway and turns back to Dean once more. "Keep up the good work, by the way. Rave reviews." She playfully slaps his ass. "Go team!" she shouts before skipping away.

"Is that true?" Dean hurriedly asks with bugged out eyes as he closes the bedroom door.

"Yes, you are doing some great work," Lizzy smirks, knowing she isn't answering the question Dean intended.

"You know what I mean, L!" Dean has to know the truth. Fifty bucks and endless fantasy scenarios depend on it.

"No," she answers and his whole body language drops.  "Sorry to disappoint."

"Eh, that's the stuff dreams are made for anyways," he jokes flatly, voice not exactly amused, and he sits next to her on the bed, rubbing on of her legs through the sheet covering her. 

"So, Bobby just wanted to interrupt our day of awesomeness for nothing important?" Lizzy grills. "He didn't want to talk to you after all?" She knows Bobby too well and feels like there had to be a reason he wanted to talk to Dean.

"No he did," Dean explains, telling her the truth. "He's being protective of you. Wanted to give me a little talking to." Dean says the last part with some acidity. He's still a little upset with Bobby.

"That's sweet," Lizzy says with a smile. "Hope he went easy on you."

"Not really," Dean tells her. "I believe the words 'I'll kick your ass, boy' came out of his mouth." Dean's shoulders are tensed once more as he replays the whole thing in his head. And Lizzy notices.

"He really got to you, huh?" Lizzy asks. "You're really upset." Dean stands up from his place on the bed.

"Yes. He just assumes the worst from me."

"Hey, Bobby will see that you mean well. Just give him time," she tried to calm him.  "He's just really protective of me and Lou."

"Whatever." Patience is still not something Dean's mastered.

"In the meantime," Lizzy says to him with a devilish grin. "You want to take out those frustrations on me?" She opens the bed sheet to let him in, revealing that she had not put any clothes on since he'd left her.

"Well if you insist," Dean says while he rushes to lift his shirt over his head and drop his sweatpants and boxer-briefs in one swift movement before running to the bed. He pounces on the naked woman. Lizzy giggles as she pulls the sheet over both of them, her laughs soon being replaced by moans of pleasure once Dean gets back to the task he'd been interrupted in the middle of.

* * *

Sam had decided to take the day and do some research. It's been a while since they've come across anything involving the Yellow-Eyed Demon and it's leaving him unsettled. He continues his studies in Bobby's den area, sitting on the couch in the old dusty room and searching for more possible young people like him. There's still no sign of Ava and that in itself has him very worried.

"Want to take a break, Sammy-Boy?" Lou walks into the room and pulls up a chair. She sits on it backwards and leans her elbows into the chair's back. In one of her hands is the leather journal the girls had been working on.

"Sure," Sam says, knowing a break would be a good idea. He's been at it all day and even Bobby had given up for a while about a half hour ago.

"Good, because I thought you might want to check this out," Lou says holding out the journal to him. "I saw the look in your eyes a couple days ago when you saw it. You've been dying for a peek, haven't you?" She's grinning at him, knowing she's right. Sam smiles back.

"Yeah, I have," he admits, taking the book from her. "Have you been keeping up with it?"

"Yes, or at least  _I_ have. But I think we both knew that would be the case."

"I'd assumed," Sam laughs out. Lizzy, as he's found, isn't much for written work. She'd rather do the dirty work, unlike Lou. Maybe that's why they work so well together. Maybe that's why he and Dean work so well together. They have a similar story. Sam unties the leather strap holding the book closed and opens it up. The first thing he notices is the resemblance it had to his dad's journal. Papers everywhere.

"You really filled in a lot of blanks," Sam comments as he looks closer. Every entry he'd started for them has been fleshed out beautifully. There are depictions added to each creature listed and it seems like anytime Lou has come across information that might possibly be useful, she's popped it in. "There's so much more in here."

"Once I started going, I couldn't stop. It's a labor of love, really. When we have free time, this is what I do."

"It's awesome," Sam tells her.

"There are a bunch of libraries out there with torn apart books that would disagree," Lou giggles. "Oh, check this out. These are all new." Lou turns the pages until she comes to the section of new entries she's done on her own. Sam scans them quickly.

"You two have been busy," he states while seeing the addition of ghouls and Tulpas. "You ran into a ghoul?"

"Yup, two of them just outside Chicago. Nasty fuckers." She scrunches up her face in disgust. "They were lurking around some cemeteries in the area. For about a month the locals were in an uproar because every time they buried someone, within a few days the grave was dug up and the body inside torn apart and partially devoured. It was gruesome."

"Oh, they're disgusting. Haven't had a run in with a ghoul in years," Sam tells her while continuing to read.

"You're lucky. I hate those things."

"Well, I'm impressed Lou. You've done some good stuff in here." Sam continues leafing through and marveling at her attention to detail and thorough analyses. "Comes in handy, doesn't it?"

"Sure does."

"Hey," Sam begins, lowing the journal and looking up at Lou. "I have to know something. Dean said you shot Tamesis with special bullets."

"Yes."

"What made them special?"

"Oh man. You are gonna love this!" Lou tells him with a wide smile as she nearly sprints out the front door of Bobby's house. She's only gone for a minute and after Sam hears the sound of a trunk closing, Lou is running back into the house with the old wooden box in her hands and she's pulling Bobby along with her.

"What the hell's gotten into you, woman?" Bobby questions as he's dragged through the house and into the den.

"I came up with this idea months and months ago, before we even met you guys," she informs Sam, ignoring Bobby's question. She drops down quickly on the couch next to Sam and hands him the box.

"Is that what I think it is?" Bobby questions, eyes wide with anticipation.

"You know it!" Lou's practically bouncing up and down in her seat with excitement.

Sam pulls open the lid and is greeted by a set of twenty-three large, shiny silver rifle bullets. He picks one up in his hand and turns it, examining the small carvings in the metal.

"Are those…" Sam starts after recognizing some of the barely visible and extremely tiny symbols etched into the smooth silver.

"Yes sir. Those are the most powerful occult symbols we know of. Bobby helped us find as many as possible. Then, we melted the silver and handmade each one." Lou hadn't stopped grinning the entire time she spoke. Sam tosses the bullet to Bobby and he looks it over closely.

"Looks good, Lou," Bobby says while he squints at the small item. "They actually work?"

"You should go ask that Nixie how they work… oh wait, you can't!" She winks back to Bobby.

"This is brilliant," Sam says with all honesty. It was a great idea. "You're good, Lou. This is really good."

"Course she's good," Bobby interrupts. "Who the hell ya' think taught her?"

"Best fucking sensei in the world!" Lou exclaims.

"That's right," Bobby says back and points his index finger in her direction. "Don't ya' ever forget it neither."

"How could I? You never stop reminding me," Lou winks back. "I'm just glad they ended up working. It was a long shot since we'd never had the chance to try them before."

Sam rolls one of the bullets between his fingers while admiring the craftsmanship. "So am I. They saved my ass from doing something beyond awful." He drops the bullet back into the box and hands the box back to Lou. "Hold on tight to these babies."

"Oh you know I will," Lou responds. "Alright, I'm gonna make some dinner. You two work up an appetite in the meantime." Lou gets up and opens the box for Bobby to return the bullet he had in his hand. She heads back out to the car to return them safely into the trunk.

* * *

 


	16. Soulshine

* * *

"I can't move," Lizzy tells Lou from across the kitchen table. "I think I'm going to die." She rubs her stomach as she sits back in her chair. She'd managed to get down two massive helpings of Lou's chicken parmesan and now is feeling the effects of consuming so much.

"That's because ya' eat like you're on death row," Bobby comments. It's a well-known fact that Lizzy eats way more than the average female, or male for that matter. "You're lucky that metabolism of yours is still on ya' side, kid."

"No shit," Lou adds. "I run every morning. This chick sleeps in and never works out ever. So unfair."

"Uh, hold on," Lizzy rebuts. "I do believe that fight training counts. And you should be kissing my ass for working on those skills as much as I do, Louie." She wags her index finger at Lou accusingly and Lou rolls her eyes in return.

"Plus, running sucks ass," Dean comments. "No sane person likes to go running. It's like self-inflicted torture."

"Here-here," Lizzy cheers as she and Dean high-five.

"I'm really starting to hate you two," Lou playfully spits at the pair. Dean laughs while staring back at her. Lou throws a piece of her bread at him and it hits him squarely in the forehead. "Ha!" Lou shouts out and Dean grabs his own dinner roll, breaking off a small piece

"Hold it," Bobby says to the group of suddenly young children at his dinner table. "No food fights in my house ok? It's already been damaged enough as it is today." He says this while glaring in Lizzy and Dean's direction. Lizzy, feeling bad for her actions… though not too bad… decides now is the time to help clean up. She stands and begins collecting the empty plates. Sam takes advantage of the lull in conversation to bring up what he'd been working on that day. He stands, retrieves something from Bobby's desk in the next room, and returns. Standing next to his seated brother, he plops the printed pages in front of Dean.

"So while you were, uh, occupied today... I found this." He points to the headline of the printed article.

"Woman disappears in middle of the night," Dean reads out loud before taking the page in his hands and skimming the article. "So this chick is just gone, poof? No break in, no sign of struggle?"

"Exactly," Sam responds. "And a month ago her girlfriend dropped dead of a heart attack," he pauses while pulling the top article out of the way to reveal another one underneath it. "And, I found this. He mother died when she was baby. In a house fire." Dean reads the article and it sounds eerily familiar.

"Great," Dean sarcastically says while dropping the papers back on the table. "Sounds like she could be like… the rest of them. And we still haven't found Ava. Could be linked." Dean brings his hands to his face.

"That's what I'm thinking. Could be a big lead here," Sam says to his brother, knowing he's disappointing Dean by reminding him of the real world. Tearing Dean away from Lizzy was going to be difficult enough and the longer they stay the more impossible it would be.

"I know, Sammy," Dean responds sadly.

"This is about the demon, isn't it?" Lizzy asks the men. Having listened to their conversation, she knows exactly what this whole thing is about. It was the mention of a house fire that made her certain.

"Uh," Sam pauses, unsure of what he should and shouldn't say.

"Yeah, L," he says quietly. "It has to do with the demon we've been after."

"Then you gotta hightail it outta here!" she tells them. "That's huge. You need to find and kill that asshole! Hell, we can help!"

Lou looks over from her place at the kitchen counter. "Totally!" she adds with excitement. "I'd be more than happy to help end that son of a bitch!"

"No way," Dean sternly replies. "You two are  _not_  getting involved in this one."

"Why not?" Lou asks. "We want to help. You just helped us out big time, let us return the favor."

"We can't ask that of you," Sam says. "This is our fight and we won't put you in that much danger."

"Please," Lizzy exhausts. "We can handle it. We definitely proved that I think."

"You did but it's still not gonna happen," Dean tells them sternly. Lou and Lizzy roll their eyes at the same time, knowing the brothers were going to win this one.

"Trust me girls, you don't want in on this one," Bobby adds in. "Listen to them. They're right."

"Fine," Lizzy begins, walking over to Dean and dropping into his lap. "You go do what you have to but if you get in a bind, call us up. We'll be there asap."

"Ok," Dean responds, knowing he's never going to call for their help. This one is way too dangerous. He is adamant about not getting Lizzy and Lou involved in their messes.

"Deal?" Lizzy holds out her left, unharmed hand.

"Deal," Dean agrees, shaking her hand.

"So I think we should leave tomorrow morning," Sam says to Dean. "Don't think we should waste too much time getting there and finding out what we can."

"Shit. I wanted to get Baby an oil change before we left," Dean complains. Lou's eyes light up at the mention of the car work.

"Seriously!?" Lou questions excitedly. "You know, if you wanted to you could just do it tonight. I mean, I could help if you wanted…"

"Yeah?" Dean smiles. It would be nice to share some time under the hood with another car lover and he can tell Lou is dying to get her hands on his car.

"Yes!" Lou answers.

"Alright, let's do it. I just need to change clothes," Dean answers, lifting Lizzy off of him enough to get up and head upstairs. "Bobby, you have everything we need?"

"Think so," he responds. "Just check before ya' get going. I've got some flood lights out back. I'll bring one out to the driveway."

"Sweet!" Lou jumps up and down before dashing out of the kitchen to grab some clothes from her room. She skids to a stop in the door way and runs back into the kitchen. She goes to the counter, grabs the white cardboard box sitting on it and tosses it onto the table. "Dessert!" she shouts to Lizzy before sprinting out of the room again.

The room is suddenly silent. Lizzy is sitting at the kitchen table alone, Sam standing behind her. "What the hell just happened?" she questions to him.

"I think," Sam starts while taking a seat at the table next to Lizzy, "We just got ditched by some overly enthusiastic grease monkeys."

"Fine by me," Lizzy says while opening the pastry box Lou threw to her. She smiles widely when she sees the cupcakes inside. She holds it out to Sam to offer one and he shaking his head no. "Oh, c'mon heath nut," she bids. "Just one won't kill you. Plus, these are some of the best cupcakes you will ever have. I stop by this place every time we stop to see Bobby." She continues holding them out to Sam, waiting expectantly.

"Fine," he smiles, reaching in and grabbing one. Lizzy places the box in front of her and picks one out. They both unwrap their treats. Lizzy leans back in her chair and props her feet up on Sam's lap before taking a bite.

"Love me some cupcakes," she says to herself through the dessert in her mouth. "There is  _nothing_  better than these things."

"I know one person who would beg to differ." Sam says while wiping some frosting off of the corner of his mouth.

"Huh?" Lizzy asks.

"Dean's obsession with pie is beyond reasoning."

"Oh yeah," Lizzy says, remembering his reaction when she baked apple pie the last time they'd seen each other. "Well, pie is good but it comes in second to this. One thing we don't have in common, ha."

"One of the few," Sam comments while thinking about all their similarities.

"Lizard, your boy is awesome!" Lou yells while jumping down the last three steps of the staircase. "Told me I can do everything myself. That car is so fucking cherry. Can't wait to get my hands on her!" Lou rushes out the front door and leaves before anyone can respond to her.

"So Lou's a car person?" Sam wonders, surprised by how excited the idea of boring car work makes her.

"Oh, absolutely!" Lizzy says through another bite. "Used to work on old junkers with her dad when she was a kid. She loves that shit." Lizzy swallows her bite in order to speak more clearly. "She was so mad at me for getting a sensible car to take on the road. She wanted something less, as she put it, lame."

"Well, I understand your car choice more than ours," Sam admits. "Dean loves that thing and I get it because it came from dad and all. But it's huge, it's loud, and costs so much to fuel. Thing burns through gas like you wouldn't believe. We have to stop constantly."

"Bite your tongue, Sammy," Dean says coming down the stairs. "You love her and you know it."

"Only home I've known," Sam grins. He may complain but the Impala is a large part of his life and he knows it.

"Exactly. Don't speak ill of my Baby like that," Dean says while taking a peak into the pastry box with hope. Seeing the cupcakes, he scrunches his face in disappointment and walks outside to join Lou.

"More for me," Lizzy comments with Dean's disinterest and reaches for a second cupcake. "It's gonna suck waking up and saying goodbye to you two tomorrow."

"Yeah," Sam agrees. "It's been nice having different people around. People who don't call me bitch and screw with my computer." Lizzy laughs.

"But what are brothers for, huh?"

Sam's face get serious. "Lizzy, I can only take my computer being frozen on 'Busty Asian Beauties' so many times before I flip."

"That's the Dean Winchester porn site of choice!?" she nearly shouts.  Sam nods his head with a wide grin and Lizzy laughs loudly. "Oh, the things I could learn from you, Sam-I-Am."

"There's plenty!" Sam laughs.

"Then spill! Lay 'em on me, bro!" Lizzy exclaims while holding her half eaten cupcake up to Sam. Sam picks up his own and they cheers their desserts before Sam begins giving Lizzy a little more insight into just who Dean is.

* * *

Bobby, Sam, and Lizzy sit in the living room, talking quietly about stories from the boy's past. Lizzy really got things going when she pushed Sam to fill her in a little more about Dean. Once Bobby came back inside, he joined the conversation and began telling Lizzy about the two brothers as kids. They were some of Bobby's best memories so he is happy to share.

"How'd it go out there?" Bobby asks from his favorite chair when the front door opens.

"Really well," Dean says while walking to the doorway of the living room, but before he can get another word in Lou runs next to him and starts up.

"Fucking awesome," she announces while coming to stand next to Dean. "It's been so long since I've done any car work. It was nice to get down and dirty again."

"And I'll tell ya', this chick knows a thing or two," Dean tells the room while dropping an arm around Lou's shoulders. "I'm impressed."

"Well, grab a beer and come join us," Lizzy smiles. She's more than happy to see that Lou is getting along with Dean. She knew that if Lou gave him a chance she'd like him much more.

"You know, I miss doing car work like that," Lou says from in the kitchen. "If Lizzy would ever let me do anything on the Toyota, I'd be able to get my fix more often."

"Uh yeah, L," Dean asks while taking a seat at one end of the couch next to her, Sam on the other end. "Why don't you let Lou do anything to your car? She's pretty trustworthy, I can vouch for that."

"Warranty, dude. I have to keep up on it."

"What a pain in the ass by the way," Lou interjects. "We have to find dealerships all over the place wherever we are." Lou takes a seat at the foot of Bobby's chair and leans against it. Bobby ruffles her hair and she swats him away, playfully pointing a finger up at him in warning.

"Warrantee can't last forever, right?" Dean says to Lou while tipping his beer in her direction. Lou does the same and they both that a swig. "What's been going on in here?"

"Just sharing old stories and whatnot," Lizzy tells him with a nudge from her shoulder.

"I get the feeling I'm gonna hate this," he says while taking another big sip of his beer.

"You might be spared my friend, because now that Lou's back I am going to make a request," Lizzy smiles out at her best friend. Lou know exactly what she wants and isn't sure now is the time or place to do what she asks.

"Aw, Lizard. Not now." She's not doing that with an audience. No fucking way.

"C'mon! Please, Louie? It's been forever," Lizzy whines and sticks out a pouting bottom lip.

"Bitch, don't do that stupid face to me," Lou responds while trying to telepathically pass on her shyness to Lizzy.

"Oh, don't be shy, Lou-Lou!" Lizzy says after practically reading her friend's mind. "You're great and you know it!"

"Ok, now I gotta know," Dean finally breaks in. He, Bobby, and Sam are all more than curious at this point as to what the women are talking about.

"Lou here is going to get her guitar out of the car and play for us!" Lizzy tell him with excitement.

"No, I'm not." Lou isn't confident when it comes to sharing her one love with others. Sure, she plays for Lizzy a lot but that's because they are together all the time. It doesn't matter that she really is good and knows it. She hasn't played for a real audience since her mother died. Once she passed away Lou no longer had that familiar face in the crowd to calm her. Her nerves were too overpowering without that comfort.

"Oh, you have to now!" Dean tells Lou, not understanding how difficult this is for the musician. "I'll run outside and get your guitar for you!"

"Keys are in my coat in the kitchen," Lizzy informs Dean and he gets up from the couch to retrieve them.

"Wait," Lou says with panic in her voice. How did she lose all control of the situation? "I don't know. I'm not that good." She looks over to Sam for some kind of support, but all he offers is a small smile. His own curiosity has taken over and he gives her no assistance.

"Yes you are! I tell you that constantly! And it's about time you grow some balls and play for other people than me. Trust me, Louie."

"Don't make the poor girl do anything she doesn't wanna, Lizzy," Bobby warns, not enjoying the discomfort written all over Lou.

Lizzy gets up and brings a chair form the kitchen table into the living room. "Lou should want to, Bobby. She has an excellent singing voice, unlike me," she informs the men. Lizzy offers her hand to Lou and helps her stand up from the floor. Lou reluctantly takes a seat in the lone chair facing everyone in the room and sighs while defiantly slumping her shoulders. "Buck up, Louie. I make you do this because you're amazing and you need to know it." She takes a seat at Lou's feet.

Dean rushes into the room and hands over the large black case. Lou takes her time opening it up and taking the instrument out. It's old and worn, but to Lou it her most prized possession.

"Lou's mom used to play," Lizzy explains from the floor to the men in the room as she hugs onto one of Lou's leg to show her support. "She had a gorgeous voice. She taught Lou everything and if Louie wasn't working in the garage she was with me making trouble or playing music."

"Doesn't mean I want to share it with the damn world," Lou complains and begins tuning up.

"Dude, it's just us. And if by now you don't trust the three other guys in this room, then I don't know what to tell you."

"Lou, I'm sure you're great," Sam offers finally. Lou takes some solace in his preemptive comment. She closes her eyes and pretends to be alone instead of with a crowd. She sighs heavily and readies her hands. Scouring her brain for what to play, she settles on an old favorite of Lizzy's.

"Yes!" Lizzy shouts once Lou starts and turns to watch as Lou starts singing along to 'Soulshine'.

"When you can't find the light... that guides you on the cloudy days."

Sam marvels at the voice coming from the small, unassuming woman just feet away. He didn't see it coming. She keeps a slower tempo than the original version and she puts her own personal spin on it but her voice is beautiful and unique.  She's extremely talented and how she's managed to keep so connected to something outside of hunting is impressive. He smiles unknowingly as she continues. These two girls really are something different. He's never met hunters who managed to keep any kind of balance in a single aspect of their lives, yet they've done it. Two of the smartest and fearless hunters he's ever met keeping themselves sane and well-adjusted with something so simple as a music. They could all learn a lot from these girls.

"Just like my daddy used to say.  He used to say soulshine.  It's better than sunshine.  It's better than moonshine. Damn sure better than rain."

Bobby already knew Lou had talent. Once, several years back when the two were still training with him, they'd run off and disappeared. He hated when they'd do that. He knew they were just after some free time and a rest from his pretty militant ways when training two hunters but if they were going to hunt then damn it they were going to be great at it. Bobby went for a walk on his property, trying to find them and haul their butts back to target practice, when he'd heard her voice wafting through the air. After following it he found the two sitting in the bed of a rusted out old Ford. They were just enjoying each other's company and the sound of Lou playing with all her heart struck him. He stayed put and eavesdropped, listening to Lou run through several songs before quietly walking away. He never told her because he knew of her self-consciousness. It was beautiful to hear her do something with so much love and it touched him that she hadn't lost her identity to the life… not yet at least.

"Sometimes a man can feel this emptiness. Like a woman has robbed him of his very soul. A woman too, God knows, she can feel like this. And when your world seems cold, you got to let your spirit take control."

Dean takes Lizzy in as she intensely watches Lou play from her seat on the floor. She has such pride and love written all over her face. She was right; Lou is talented to say the least. Why she'd be nervous to play for them makes no sense to him. It's been a long time since he and Sam had the chance to be included in something so great. Lizzy and Lou were letting them into their lives completely and without hesitation. It's a wonderful feeling to be wanted and accepted like that.

"Yeah now people don't mind.  We all get this way sometimes. Gotta let your soul shine, shine till the break of day."

Lou finishes the song and quietly looks down at her guitar, avoiding the stares of the room.  She hasn't done a whole lot of performing for others in years and the shyness overwhelms her now.  She's never shy so this is freaking her out.  And no one's talking....

"Lou, that was..." Bobby stops short when he huffs in astonishment and waits for her to look up at him. Once she does he finishes his compliment. "Beautiful. You're very, very talented, young lady. Don't you dare deprive people of that ever again. Especially not me."

Lou lets a small smile slip out. "Thank you, Bobby," she says to him with all sincerity. Bobby's words are something she always takes to heart. He's never once lied to them and he wouldn't even in this situation. Lou feels a lot less guarded now.

"Thanks Louie. You made my day," Lizzy smiles warmly up at her sister. Lou's heart swells with making her friend so happy. "You ok?"

"Yeah. Wasn't so bad." It really wasn't. Everyone in the room listened intently the whole time she played and the grinning faces now looking in her direction really eases her worries. Plus, anytime she plays her guitar she feels the presence of her mother in the room. She's still supporting her, Lou knows it.

Lou then lets her eyes land of Sam's.  His hazel ones look back at her with sincere awe and she can feel her heart melt a little at the sweet sight.  "You're... wow," Sam lets out quietly from the couch with a huff.  "Lou, you're really good."

"I know, right?" Dean concurs and breaks the small moment. "What else you got for us, Lou?"

The five sit together like this, listening to Lou play until late in the night. Lou decided to share her personal favorite song, 'Learning to Fly' by Tom Petty and soon enough Lizzy was singing along, practically ruining the song with her off pitch vocal chords. Luckily no one complained. She entertained requests from everyone; 'Those to Come' by the Shins for Sam, her favorite Neil Young song 'Sugar Mountain' for Bobby, and for Dean she played both Led Zeppelin's 'Tangerine' (or at least her version of it) and 'The Weight' by The Band.

"Alright, one last one."

Lou begins playing the few opening chords and Lizzy stiffens up immediately before looking down at the floor. Though her face is angled low and almost out of view, Dean still recognizes the difficulty on her face as she wraps her arm around Lou's leg from the floor. She rests her temple on Lou's knee while her best friend plays a beautiful rendition of 'Blackbird'.

"Blackbird singing in the dead of night. Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise."

Lizzy feels the single tear overflow and soak into the fabric of Lou's pants. This song always did this to her. The meaning it holds is extremely powerful and hearing her best friend play it after years of not hearing it hits her right in the heart. She stays put, eyes drawn downward, and lets the entire song consume her.

"You were only waiting for this moment to arise. You were only waiting for this moment to arise."

Lizzy looks up when Lou finishes the song and smiles despite the now several tears that have fallen. "Thanks, Louie."

"Didn't wanna make you cry, Lizard."

"No it's good," Lizzy responds while using the sleeve of her sweatshirt to sop up her cheeks. "I love that song, you know that. It was perfect."

"It was Cathy's favorite song," Lou informs the group. "Anytime I went over to Lizzy's with the guitar she made me play it."

"Cathy is your mom?" Sam quietly asks Lizzy and gets a nod in confirmation.

"Woman had good taste in music then," Bobby adds.

"Awesome taste," Lizzy says. "My parents both did. I got lucky."

"Damn, I musta played that song for her dozens of times," Lou reminisces.

"Hundreds, actually," Lizzy comments as she stands up from the floor. "Damn, Lou. Thank you so much. Haven't heard you do that in a very long time." She locks onto her with a huge, warm hug.

"No problem." Lou says in return.

"I don't know what I'd do without you. God, I'm so fortunate to have you."

"Couldn't live without you either, Lizard." Lou responds before backing away from the hug. "Don't make me cry in front of a room full of onlookers, ok?"

"Ok. Sorry," she apologizes.

Soon after the group make their way up to the second floor to end the night. Sam, being the shy yet kind person he is, grabs a blanket and pillow and heads back downstairs for the couch. Lou disappointingly goes to sleep alone in the bedroom next door to Lizzy and Dean. Striking out again. He's dead the next time they meet.

* * *

"I feel like we've been here before," Lizzy comments while plugging in her iPod to its dock once they've returned to the room they'd shared. "Like déjà vu or something." She smiles at Dean who is packing up his things. Trying to keep things light outwardly, on the inside Lizzy is saddened by his coming departure.

"Sucks just as much as last time, that's for sure," Dean laments to her.

"Yes it does," she responds while starting up the playlist entitled 'Easy Listening for Non Pussies'. She eases down on the bed and lies on her stomach, watching him pack and listening to 'Morning Sun'. She lowers her head until it rests on her folded hands under chin and smiles at the sight of him. While doing such mundane tasks as folding clothes, the average person wouldn't have ever guessed that within him is the goodness and strength that resides there.

"I think we need to have an agreement," Lizzy announces to him. Dean zips his bag closed, finishing packing, and sits next to her.

"What kind of an agreement?" he asks. She rolls onto her side to face him and smiles.

"That we don't go longer than necessary before seeing each other again. Four months was a damn long time." She reaches over and rubs his knee.

"It was a very long time, wasn't it?" he agrees.

"The longest," she says while pulling on his shirt until he comes to her, kissing him intensely. They stay locked together for some time before Lizzy ends it in order to speak again. Not stopping their actions now would lead to getting into other activities and never talking. "I don't want to be away from you for that long again. It blew."

Dean smiles to her in concurrence.

"So I say we make a deal," she continues. "Anytime we are within a three hour drive of each other, we make it a point to meet up."

Dean lifts his eyebrows at the idea. It was a solid deal. "What if it's months before we're that close to each other?"

"Then I pretend that I'm three hours from you and settle in for a long trip," she winks. "Look, I know you've got some scary shit on the horizon. I know you're going to be busy. I just need a phone call here and there, a text now and then and I can hold off until we meet again out on the dusty trail." She knows this is the best she can get out of him at this point in his life and even if it's minimal, she'll take what she can get. He's worth it.

"I can do that," Dean nods. She's realistic about everything. He's glad for that.

"Good. And I don't need to spend all my free time worrying about you and Sam. Your former promise to text now and then to at least tell me you two are alive still stands. I don't care how bad it gets!" She sits up and climbs onto Dean's lap, sitting on top of his now stretched out legs. She wraps her legs around his waist and comes face to face with him.

"I can do that also," he responds, moving in to kiss her once more.

"Mmm," Lizzy interrupts mid kiss before pulling back. "I mean it, Hot Shot. You know if you don't…"

"You'll kick my ass, I know," Dean finishes for her with a roll of his eyes.

Lizzy grins as that warm, giddy feeling overcomes her again. He keeps doing that to her and it's very addictive. She wants to feel it all the time.

"You never told me what happened here," Dean reminds her while running his hand along the back of her right arm. "That's one nasty scar, L."

"Eh, battle wound. I wear it with pride," she grins.

"What were you battling?" he asks while rotating her arm to get another peek. It's long and deep. And it looks like it hurt.

"A ghoul. We tracked one down and were waiting in a cemetery it was known to frequent. It showed up and Lou shot it dead pretty quickly, but we didn't know there were two of them. The other one snuck up on us from behind."

"Ghouls, fucking gross."

"Right?" Lizzy concurs. "So we got into a bit of a scuffle. The thing was crazy quick and managed to get my knife away from me. Cut my arm wide open before Lou was able to take a clear shot. Twenty-two stitches later and I have this baby."

"At least it didn't get you in the left arm. Coulda fucked up that artwork," he gestures to her other, tattoo-covered arm.

"No shit, huh? I'd be so pissed," she tells him.

Dean runs his fingers lightly over the disfigured skin on last time. He leans down and kisses the spot. Lizzy's touched by the gesture. Funny how even the most hardened man can soften up completely when the right woman comes along.

"You know, you are…" she begins but pauses.

"Awesome?" he smirks.

"Yes," Lizzy laughs, "But what I was going to say was you are something else. And you're officially my new favorite thing."

"Really?" he questions with a kiss to her neck.

"Yes, really," she responds while closing her eyes as his lips land on her sensitive skin. "I like you more than kicking ass even."

"What about taking names?" he questions between kisses.

"Way more."

"What about cupcakes?" he asks before running his tongue over the bottom lip.

"Even more than cupcakes."

"What about your IPod?" he whispers into her ear.

"Whoa! Don't get ahead of yourself, Dean," she warns with a grin before pushing him lightly. He jokingly flails with the playful shove and falls backwards on the bed. Lizzy giggles at the display and leans forward over him. "You know, we better make the best of our time together tonight. Could be a while before we get to do this again."

"Can't get enough, huh?" Dean quips. "Even after the day we've had?"

"I'll  _never_  get enough of you."

* * *

 


	17. Get Me Some Pie!

* * *

"You sure you got everything you need?" Bobby questions the two brothers as they finish packing up the Impala.

"Pretty sure, Bobby," Sam assures him.

"Be sure to check in every now and then, huh? Let me know if ya' need anything or if it gets too heavy out there," Bobby tells them.

"You know we will," Dean promises.

Sam opens the passenger door and takes his usual seat, ready for the long drive ahead. As soon as he pulls the creaky door shut he's attacked.

"Bye Big Sam!" Lizzy shouts in his ear as she dives head first into the open window. She kisses him on the cheek. "Be careful huh? And take care of yourself!" she says while ruffling his shaggy hair. She's referring to his headaches. Sam thinks Lou must not have told her anything he'd confessed to her yet. He mentally begins to prepare himself for the motherly calls he's sure to get once Lizzy knows the situation is bigger than she currently thinks.

"I will," he tells her with a smile. "Bye Lizzy."

She wiggles her way out of the window and runs to the other side. She leaps up onto Dean much like when she first saw him a few days before and, just like before, he catches her. They hug goodbye for some time before he puts her down again.

"Please be careful," she asks of him. "I'm not gonna lose you, ok?" She says it as if he could ever promise such a thing. Deep down she knows he can't.

"Ok," he says, entertaining her wish before he leans down and kisses her eagerly one last time. He misses this already. He pulls away and gives her a parting wink before getting into the driver's seat.

"Uh, gross," Lou jokes when she comes around the house. She tosses a bag at Sam through the window. "I refilled your medical supplies. You were getting low."

"Thanks," Sam says to her as he once again has his space invaded when Lou leans into the car. She grips his face under his chin.

"And you still owe me. Our to-be-continued still stands," she tells him with an assaulting kiss on the lips goodbye, one that lasted much longer than it should have. She backs out the window as Dean turns the key in the ignition, revving the engine with a huge smirk directed at his brother. Lou runs to the hood of the Impala and leans onto it, wrapping her small arms around as much of it as she could.

"I'm gonna miss you girl!" she says her goodbye to the car. She looks up through the windshield at Dean. "You better treat her well!"

He leans his head out the car. "You know I will!"

Lou gets up and backs away, giving the men the clearance they need to get out of the driveway. She walks to the driver's side where Lizzy is still standing and wraps the woman in her arms, knowing she's hurting with the departure.

"Bye" Lizzy mouths to Dean. He smiles sadly and puts the car in drive. Once at the end of the driveway, the Impala makes a left and Sam waves out the window one last time before they disappear.

Lizzy sighs heavily. The uncertainty weighs on her much like the last time she said goodbye to Dean, but this time it isn't over. She knows she will see him again. How long before she does is what hangs in the balance and she can deal with that.

"It's ok, Lizard." Lou looks up at her taller sister. "You still have Bobby!"

Lizzy laughs and looks over to the older man across the driveway from them. She blows a kiss playfully at him.

"The hell is wrong with you two?" he grumbles before walking back to the front of the house to go inside.

"So, research today and back on the road tomorrow?" Lizzy asks as they separate and begin walking to the front door themselves.

"Sure," Lou says, knowing Lizzy will want to keep busy. "Plus, we need to talk."

"What about?" Lizzy questions with confusion.

"Uh, details woman. You spent a whole day in bed with one of the hottest men we've ever met and you've told me nothing!"

Lizzy smiles with her steamy memories. Best damn day of her life, she thinks.

"Why don't we wait until tomorrow," she suggests while putting her arm around her friend. "I don't want to traumatize poor Bobby any more than I have to."

* * *

_Two months later._

"Oh yeah?" Dean says with a devilish smile into his cellphone. He and Lizzy have been contacting each other at least four times a week since they'd last seen each other two months ago.

"Yeah. Lou's definitely going to devour your brother the next time she sees him. She's holding a sex grudge against him for not putting out that last night. You better warn him!"

"Warn him? That prude? No way, where's the fun in that?"

Sam give Dean an annoyed look, knowing he's being talked about, and points through the windshield at a sign for a local diner, trying to signal to Dean to stop. They hadn't eaten since they left Bobby's mid-morning so both were very hungry.

"Hey L, I gotta go. Food stop," Dean tells her.

"Alright," Lizzy says. "I miss you, Hot Shot."

"You too," he says vaguely, trying not to say too much in front of Sam.

"Call me soon!" she tells him before hanging up. Little do either of them know that this is the last time they will speak to each other for nearly a year.

Dean drives down a small road that leads right to the dinner.

"Get me a cheeseburger?" Dean more demands than asks.

"Yeah," Sam says quietly.

"Hey, don't forget the extra onions this time, huh?"

"Dude, I'm the one who's gonna have to ride in the car with your extra onions," Sam complains while getting out of the car.

"Hey, see if they've got any pie," Dean shouts to his brother, receiving a glare in return before Sam shuts the car door. "Bring me some pie!" he yells one last time.

"I love me some pie," Dean mumbles to himself before turning up the radio. 'Long Time' is playing. Great freakin' song. He watches through the front window of the building as Sam talks to one of the waiters.

The radio cuts in and out suddenly, getting a static filled version of the song playing. Dean fiddles with the radio in an attempt to fix it but to no avail. He turns it off and looks up see how Sam's doing on getting their food. The pit of his stomach jumps when he not only can't find Sam, but he can't find anyone. Dean jumps out of his car and begins running to the dinner, completely unaware of the many horrible turns his life is about to take.

* * *

 


End file.
